


Shiro and Keith. issues 1-4

by SkyKathryn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura - Freeform, Body Worship, Bruises, Fluffy, Hand Jobs, Kisses, Kissing, Lions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, SHEITH - Freeform, Scar Kissing, Slow Burn, Voltron, bruise fixing, fluffy for me at least, helping eachother, hints at torture, pact, paladin armour, shiroxkeith, teasing lance, two dense idiots, unbetaed, whimpering, work outs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-15 12:19:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8056057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyKathryn/pseuds/SkyKathryn
Summary: "This looks real painful.” He raised his right hand up, moving the skin and watching the other tense. “It may be too late to ice though, soothing cream?” “Whatever you wanna prescribe doc.” The raven haired man shrugged, reaching over and handing the tube over once he’d warmed it between his palms. “Be more careful would you?” Shiro shook his head, running the substance over the purple area and a bit further just for good measure, and as an excuse to keep touching his soft skin. “Says you, Mr, I-Don’t-Need-Anyone-To-Help-Me.” He sharpened his eyes at the leader who shrugged before wincing again at the sudden pain. “Ok ok, just sit for a bit and let that sink in would you?”





	1. issue 1

The bot ran at him, weapon raised to strike and he knew he couldn’t get away, couldn’t get to his own sword which had been thrown from his hand in the last hit he had received, sending it and him flying to separate sides of the arena. He tried to dodge, arms coming up to protect his face and sending his left leg out to spin away but it anticipated the move just in time and bought the cool metal of its blade into his side. He shouted out as pain seemed to flush through him, knowing it would leave a bruise, and suddenly the floor dropped out from beneath him. 

He floated in anti-gravity for a few seconds, sulking but he wouldn’t admit that to anyone that asked, before turning and placing his feet on the ground. He let his tired legs carry him towards the door, exiting the training arena as he heard the room above him power down, his bayard returning to its normal arched shape where it was zapped to his hand. 

“That looked like a whole can of failure in one.” Lance jumped out from the viewing room as he passed and a low growl seemed to echo from Keith’s chest. “Big bad Grumpy can’t take a little criticism?”

“Bite me Lance.” He shouted, turning the corner where he hadn't even broken a stride. 

“Aw! Come on!” He heard the brunet yell as he pulled his shoulders closer, refusing to let the three main pains on his body take a hold of him. Before he realised where he was heading he found himself outside of a door that wasn’t his room though. 

“Hey Keith!” Shiro opened said door just as he got there, seemingly ready to come out for the day. “What happened to you?” 

“Sorry, I. I don’t know why I’m here, I just sort of forgot to engage my brain I guess.” The shorter man refused to admit he was blushing, and the fact he couldn’t meet those gorgeous grey eyes had nothing to do with the situation either thank you very much.

“Hey.” The other grabbed the top of his arm, dropping it like it burnt him when he saw the wince. “Have you been training too hard again?”

“No one is gonna take it easy on us Shiro, you know that.” He started to whine but the make-shift leader just rolled his eyes and opened his bedroom door, dragging the other in behind him. 

“And you will be no use to us if you break yourself before they get a chance to try.” Shiro countered, pointing at a couch just inside the door and rushing off to where Keith guessed was his bathroom, if their rooms were set out the same. 

“How can we get better if we don’t prepare?” He shouted, flopping down into the pillows and refusing to admit that it was damn comfy and he just wanted to curl up and sleep in them, nope, he definitely wasn’t thinking that.

“By working together.” The scarred man shook his head as he came back, tube of cream in one hand and a couple of ice packs in the metal one.

“One; why do you have ice packs in your bathroom? Two; what about when we get separated? It happens, a lot, Shiro.” He relented the leather jacket, folding the belovedly soft red over the back of the chair and took one pack, pressing it to the main bruise forming on his upper arm.

“I use them a lot, and we build on the foundation we already have, Allura has come to me three times already this month requesting that I talk to you about turning the solo training down.” The elder shook his head again, hand coming up to rub his eyes. “You’re pushing too hard to fast and something is going to break, and I promise it won't be the simulations.” He sharpened his mild glare at the end and had to hide a smirk when Keith’s bottom lip pushed out in a perfect pout.

“Why?” Keith dared to catch that part and dared to ignore the second half.

“My arm plays up, now answer me Keith.” Shiro waved an ice pack at him and narrowed dark eyes, making the younger man shudder slightly. “Why are you pushing so hard?”

“I just need to be better ok?” He snapped, wincing as he jarred his side. “We can't lose because one of us is weak.”

“You’re not weak, you’re a damn good fighter Keith.” The white fringed man seemed to melt, shuffling closer on his ass where he was sat on the floor and raised the ice pack to his team members side, the pillow like shape big enough to wrap around both sides of his ribs. “Not too hard?”

“I can’t fail us again, if I have the chance to finish that asshole off I will.” He growled, eyes slamming shut at the contact but he managed to hold back the whine, nodding and biting his lip hard. “You’re good.”

“You didn’t fail anyone.” Shiro recalled the day he was on about and shuddered, leaning his chin on the knee in front of him in an unusual show of affection. “I’m the one who lost my lion, not you.” 

“Don’t, Shiro you know you had no control over that.” The black haired man only just resisted the urge to run his fingers through that soft as snow looking fringe and had to look away to take his mind off of it. “Can you wrap the other pack around my upper calf? Just below my knee?”

“It was all my fault and you know it too.” He shrugged and wrapped his hand around the leg, holding the blue pack close as possible through thick jeans. “You know this won't do any real good through your trousers right?”

“Why Shiro, I had no idea you swung that way.” Keith watched his comment sink in and the way the blush crept up that pale neck deliciously, his body snapping away from it's resting place on his leg. Sometimes he really hated his quick wit but he tried not to let it show.

“I just, I know it won't work ok? I’m med trained.” Shiro seemed to clam back up “and the pack can work well if you want it.” All the calmness was gone from his voice, sounding more like an empty robot than anything human and Keith couldn’t help but reach over and grip that sharp jawline in one hand, forcing him to look up.

“I’m only teasing Shiro, I know you want to help.” He tried to smile but it was weak as he felt the other only tense further so he dropped his fingers. The hand holding the pack to his side seemed less inclined to stay in place and the soothing cool of the one of his leg was no longer there. 

“Yeah, you’re my team, it’s in our code to protect each other.” He seemed to drop the storm gates and pulled away completely, standing and going to the fridge Keith hadn’t noticed, grabbing a couple of space lemonades and handing one over after piercing it. Something about that seemed to spark something in the younger male and he reached out, tugging the metal fingers resting on the couch behind him. 

“You know it’s more than that right? You’re my friend too, before the whole Paladin thing, you mean a lot to me, to all of us.” He tried unsuccessfully to cover but the way Shiros’ hand curled against his shoulder gave him some reaction at least. 

“I know that, it’s just hard to accept sometimes.” Grey eyes smiled sadly as he came around the couch, pulling off the younger Paladins shoes to help him out of his tight jeans after he decided that no, they would no roll up. Keith ignored the fact that today, of all days, just had to be bright pink underwear day, and other than a raised eyebrow, Shiro seemed to do the same. The pack felt much better against bare skin and he picked up the forgotten package and lifted his shirt enough to wrap that back around his side again. That metal hand came up to hold it in place over his clothes, side against the fabric of the couch this time instead, so he could put his attention back to his arm. 

“Thanks Shiro.” He smiled and the other returned it, resting his chin on the thick fabric of his own under shirt. 

“No problem.” He let his eyes flutter closed, that tension seeping back out and Keith dared to let his own out of his shoulders. “Did you leave anyone behind?”

“When?” The snort may have been self-derogatory but it made Keith’s heart clench a little bit anyway. 

“On Earth, before all this happened?” He clarified, purple eyes daring to look down at the way the older man seemed to slump in on himself. 

“Not really, never really got along with my Father, Mother died some years ago, I had a girlfriend, but she left me before I went to training, couldn’t handle the distance. I suppose it was a good thing there was no one there to worry over my disappearance” He shrugged, momentarily dislodging his chin from its resting place and relaxed again. “You?”

“Naa, my Foster parents were glad to see the back of me when I left to join the Garrison, I never bothered looking back.” Keith settled deeper into the couch, humming as Shiro used his knee to prop up the leg pack so he could grab his drink. No, he wasn’t at all fixated with the way his dark lips wrapped around that straw, no sirree. He mentally kicked himself, knowing he wasn’t exactly in a position to hide his thoughts and instantly thought about something dark, like naked grandmothers and dead puppies. “I miss animals.”

“Doesn’t Lance count as a pet?” They both snorted as the older man deadpanned, rolling his eyes again and blowing his fringe from his face. “I know what you mean though, my Mother had this cat, big fat ginger thing, Milo it was called, seemed never ending and old from the day it was born. But I was the only other person, besides my Mother, who could get cuddles from him. Honest affection with only food needed in return, perfect relationship if you ask me.”

“I’m sure you just described Hunk, I don’t know, he may take your offer into consideration.” Keith chuckled, feeling his mood fall but not wanting to show it. “Milo sounds cute, we need a new mascot, I kind of miss Rover.”

“Maybe Allura will let us pick up some animal at some point, she has the mice so maybe not a cat.” Shiro pointed out, putting the drink down and wrapping his hand back around his leg, curled comfortably around the others feet still.

“Those mice would be the ones in charge, have you seen what they get up to?” He dared to move the pack on his arm and winced at the bright purple bruise there already. “I don’t want to look at my side.”

“That looks pretty nasty.” He reached up, tracing his cold metal fingers over it and the soothing feeling of them accidentally drew a moan out of the younger man. He held back a blush and gave in, curling his hand over the marked flesh and wishing he could actually feel it, rather than just the illusion that he got when he touched anything. 

“Thanks Shiro, I wouldn’t have done any of this and I would have regretted it later.” Keith admitted, eyes opening slightly to smile at the commander. He tried to ignore the way Shiro was suddenly closer to him, instead wrapping his arm around his side to hold that pack now his hand was free. 

“I get the feeling you do that a lot don’t you?” He shook his head, looking up and away from him before turning back to his fellow Paladin. “Look, you don’t take care of yourself so I’ll give you an ultimatum. You stop pushing so hard, let us, us being Allura and I, set the levels you train at appropriately, or, you come to me after each fight to patch you up, whilst also being careful not to overdo it ok?” 

"You really want to do that? You know I train like, at least twice a day right?" Keith ignored the way the idea made his chest flutter, he was not some girl, he didn’t need looking after, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like the idea. 

“Then I guess I better get some more ice packs then better I?” He smirked, reaching to ruffle the mans hair and uncapping the cream, warming his flesh hand up on his jeans before running it in small circles over the mark on his arm, working it into his skin gently.

‘I’ll try not to waste your time too often.” He admitted, letting his head roll back to be supported by the couch as the hand moved to his leg, wincing slightly but the soothing cool was much better than the dull sting.

“It’s fine Keith, I need the company more than anything, I’m used to looking after people.” He shrugged like it was nothing but the dark haired man felt it, a frown forming on his lips. 

“You know you can come to us at any point right?” He tilted forwards again, hand falling onto Shiro’s shoulder so he would look at him. “Everyone likes you Shiro.”

“Yeah, but everyone’s always got something to do, and I know I need to plan, to work out our next move with Allura and Coran, train myself, heck even keep searching for threats, but it does get so, boring.” He half smiled and Keith shook his head.

“Nope, if I have to come to you when I’ve trained too hard, you have to come to me when you need company, if I’m not free you go to someone else, they won’t mind you being around, just don’t get in Pidge’s way, they may bite.” He held out a hand and the Captain raised an eyebrow at it before raising the metal hand, not covered in bruise cream, and shook it. “Good. Now do you want to put that on my side or are we both afraid to look at it?” 

 

***

 

Shiro pushed himself, forcing his body to listen as he worked the stress out on a simulation. They had finished the monster off, but he also knew there would be one not far behind it, and they had made so many pathetic mistakes. Some days it felt like his team were in perfect sync, then something would happen and they would fall apart like a group of untrained children. He took an angry swing at the bot who crumpled to the ground, sliced in half by his cybernetic arm in his rage. 

A sound came from behind him, and knowing the room was set to just keep giving him targets he charged his hand and swung around, growling deep in the back of his throat and only just stopped when he realised that the red clad Paladin was stood a few metres from him.

“Easy Boss, I don’t want to be mincemeat.” He tried to chuckle but didn’t drop his hands until the purple glow was gone from Shiro’s own.

“What the hell Keith? I could have killed you!” Shiro shouted, anger leaking from his feet at the sudden fact that, yes he could have, was inside his brain. He wouldn’t ever have forgiven himself if he had so much as cut his arm, and he was totally prepared to cut him in half.

“You didn’t listen when I yelled over the tannoy, and you have set the bots so I can’t turn them off unless I join you in the room.” He explained, coming closer to his friend and resting his hands on heaving shoulders. “Shiro?”

“So you come up to me? I literally was ready to slice you to ribbons.” He whispered, daring to look up with the tears of sudden fear in his steely eyes. “What the fuck would I have done then?”

“Put me in a fixing pod? It’s ok Shiro, I can take care of myself.” Keith quirked an eyebrow but the sudden arms around his torso made him squeak, unsure about the physical contact thing, but he patted the other man’s back like it wasn't all he wanted. “I am the second best fighter here, only because you have like, five years’ experience on me.”

"You're a damn good fighter Keith.” Shiro pulled back, blushing at the sudden outburst, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. 

"Why thank you kind sir, but now tell me why you’re in here, whilst the rest of the team are tucked in bed?” He raised a perfectly done eyebrow and watched as the other’s shoulders slumped, kicking the ground like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. 

“I couldn't sleep, there is just too much going on in my head.” He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling before catching those damn purple eyes. 

"Come on, you got to be tired, you kept us all together, that takes more work than just being an arm.” He tried to laugh but the way the other tensed made him stop. “Shiro?”

“It’s just, we made so many, so many, stupid mistakes today.” He shuddered and felt his fingers curling and uncurling from fists at his side. “I should be able to react to them and get us out of crappy situations but I just failed to do so. It was like we had never worked together before.”

“So we do more team bonding exercises, and work on our use of Voltron, come on you can’t let this get to you so much, we won in the end.” He pressed a hand to the others shoulder who leant into the touch through his fighting gear.

“Only just, and all the lions are in need of repair as well as most of us.” He waved the simulation off and started walking towards the door. “Why are you up anyway?”

“My legs hurting, I bashed it pretty good in the fight when Red and I were thrown to the side, I felt kinda, I don’t know, wrong? Dealing with it myself so I came to find you.” He blushed but walked beside his companion all the same. “I kinda got used to you patching me up, I can go if you want? Or do you need the company?”

“I won’t be much of anything like good company, but I’m sorry I didn’t help you, I know I said I would, I should have asked.” Shiro felt guilt wash over him in waves and he whimpered slightly in the back of his throat.

“Hey, we all just wanted food, I should have checked you were ok, I don’t think anyone really listened in the debriefing.” Keith wrapped an arm around the others and lead him towards his room, turning them both as he chattered on about some idea he had when they were fighting. Shiro felt himself relax under the easy way the talk flowed between them, opening the door when it came to his room but not needing to reply. He and Keith had been doing this for a few months now, they were used to dealing with hurts and pains and when to be quiet or when to fill the silence. 

“Want something to eat?” Shiro leant over the couch when Keith flopped into it, his armour making flopping harder so he started undoing it, placing it on the portal next to his door.

“Got anything sweet?” He caught the bag of marshmallows sent his way with a gleeful shriek, ripping into them as quickly as possible.

“I shouldn’t even have to ask anymore really.” He snorted, dropping into the couch and wincing at the bruises on his back. “Gimme one.”

“You hurting?” Keith stopped stuffing his face with the pillowy goodness long enough for the other and to grab a whole handful.

“Yeah when you all get thrown back, I tend to go too?” He shrugged and popped one in his mouth. “I tend to try and take the brunt of the force and leave you guys away from the ground for the main impact.”

“You idiot, use the lions damnit!” Keith started clawing at the bottom of Shiro's under shirt, peeling it away from is skin forcefully. Panic filled the Black paladin and he jumped away, pulling the fabric back down quickly. 

“It’s fine, I’d rather you guys were able to fight.” He scratched the back of his neck, stepping away from the other who raised an eyebrow. 

"Come on Shiro, you see me all the time, we made a pact remember? It’s not weird if we need a hand now let me see, you never let me help you.” He stood up but the other shook his head. 

“It’s fine, really, a bath and I’ll be right as rain, I just, I’ll go get the stuff for your leg.” He turned on his heel, running away to the bathroom as quick as he could just to hide the panic that was flooding his system. He really needed to get a grip on himself before he gave away his skin. Whenever he had to change or be naked for a shower or anything he made the castle black out all the mirrors, refusing to look down at his scarred and ruined flesh because last time he did he threw up. He couldn’t let Keith see that, regardless of how much he needed that care and attention to put his back right. Or how much he really wanted to just tell him goddamnit. 

“Shi?” Keith knocked on the door, making him jump and throw something off the side of the basin. “Hey Shiro, can I come in?” 

“No, I’m fine.” He could hear the shake in his voice and slid to the floor, back braced against the wall as he put his head between his knees. Once Keith decided that no, his friend wasn’t using the facilities, he opened the door a crack to look in.

“No you’re not.” He sighed, dropping to his knees in front of the shaking mountain of man on the tiles. “Come here.” He wrapped both arms around him without thinking, pulling him close enough to rock him as his hands ran over his back in big, soothing circles. “Deep breaths come on.”

“I’m fine.” He sobbed, using the most pathetic attempt he could to push away from that comforting embrace and failing miserably, his arms winding their way around the smaller waist instead.

“You don’t have to be macho all the time Shiro.” Keith leant his head onto the top of the other mans and draped his legs over his when they flattened out, effectively putting himself in his lap. 

“I know that, I just, I panic ok?” He pulled Keith tighter, like the old teddy he used to have, head pressing against his chest and burying as close as he could to starve off the images flashing his mind. 

“I do too, it’s ok, I got you.” Keith hoped he couldn’t hear his heartbeat fluttering a mile a minute in his chest but guessed he could so he just carded his fingers through that soft forelock of white.

“Thanks Keith.” Shiro whispered, feeling himself calming with each beat of the others heart, counting until his breathing was back to normal.

“No problem, I gotta be useful somehow.” He pulled back enough to smile at the man underneath him and received a weak one back. “No skin, I get it, but we should ice you, how about, we get the pack, relocate to the front room as your ass has to be numb by now, and we put the packs on your back and you can check my leg at the same time?”

"Sounds good." He nodded and ran his hands down the others sides gently, savouring the feel of his body through the thin fabric of his black shirt whilst he could.

“I’m sorry if my lard ass crushed your legs.” He joked, only so he could remember the way those hands felt for a few more seconds before he jumped up, offering a hand to pull the other with him. 

“You weigh nothing.” Shiro assured him, allowing himself to be pulled up and unconsciously squeezed his fingers before they broke away.

“Yeah right, Lance complained when I fell on him in training.” He snorted, pulling an unconvinced face. 

“Lance complains about everything if given the chance.” Shiro pointed out, reaching into the under counter freezer and grabbing a few different packs, handing them over to grab the cream and swapping back. 

“Hey I can carry the heavy stuff.” Keith complained when all of the packs were out of his hands. 

“The cold doesn’t effect my hand and I need you to be able to warm the tube up.” He pointed out, turning the light off behind them as they made their way to the front room again, definitely not looking at his cute little ass, not at all.

 

“Oh yeah.” He tried to sound like he wasn’t grumbling but failed miserably. “Still not convinced that wasn’t a pick up line.”

“So what if it was?” Shiro winked and watched the other stutter, tripping over his feet only to catch himself blushing furiously on the sofa.

“Screw you.” He dropped the cream on the table and folded his arms over himself, glaring at the older male.

“Isn’t that the intention of a pick-up line?” He winked again, putting the packs down and kneeling in front of Keith, undoing his laces with practiced ease, much more comfortable with helping than being helped. 

“You talk to Lance too much.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and swatted the hand that ruffled his hair as if it actually bothered him.

“Aw you getting jealous?” Shiro prompted, leaning over his lap and patting his shoulders with both hands. 

“What? Of Lance? No, I don’t think he’s much of a threat to anyone.” He chuckled, refusing to look at the face of the other man in case he noticed the blush over his cheeks, a near constant issue at the moment it seemed.

“Or are you more interested in him and don’t want me to steal him from you?” The white fringed man pulled off his other shoe and started massaging his foot with his thumbs.

 

“I mean, you can’t see it? He’s all over me, it’s slim pickings up here, I may as well take what comes.” He rolled his eyes but let out a deep moan at the sensations, head falling back on the sofa. “Don’t you dare stop.”

“Oh really? You sure It’s not the other way around? I think he just enjoys getting on your nerves, but I suppose he does rile you up better than the lot of us.” He shrugged, moving to the other foot without a second thought, humming contently at being let to look after someone. 

“Maybe he does fancy me, what do you think, should I ask him on a date?” Keith chuckled, looking down as a chin was pressed to his knee.

“I don’t know, sure you won’t upset anyone else?” He tried not to let the fact the idea made his gut twist with a shy smile but the other returned it in a slightly too relaxed, almost knowing, way.

“I mean, I’m sure Hunk may be a bit peeved but, I don’t know, I don’t think anyone would mind him being taken off the market.” He rolled his violet eyes, smirking at the way Shiro shook his head, huffing out a breath through his marked nose.

“It would leave the universe in your eternal debt.” He got up, waving towards the packs. “Come on, let me see your leg.”

“It isn’t already just because we deal with him?” He stood, pulling his jeans down and turning to his side, letting the other crouch and look at the already blackening bruise. He at least was in dark navy underwear this time, he avoided wearing the embarrassing ones just in case he ended up with the elder. 

“I mean, if you want to take it up with Allura I’m sure she can make some arrangement with the universe for you. This looks real painful.” He raised his right hand up, moving the skin and watching the other tense. “It may be too late to ice though, soothing cream?” 

“Whatever you wanna prescribe doc.” The raven haired man shrugged, reaching over and handing the tube over once he’d warmed it between his palms. 

“Be more careful would you?” Shiro shook his head, running the substance over the purple area and a bit further just for good measure, and as an excuse to keep touching his soft skin. 

“Says you, Mr, I-Don’t-Need-Anyone-To-Help-Me.” He sharpened his eyes at the leader who shrugged before wincing again at the sudden pain. 

“Ok ok, just sit for a bit and let that sink in would you?” Shiro tried to blow it over but the other grabbed him, pulling him to the sofa with one defiant arm tug.

“My turn, on your front, let me line these packs up.” He stood and pointed, letting the older man know he was not in the position to say no. Shiro rolled his eyes but laid flat out on his front all the same, letting the other line the cold packs up along his spine, moaning at the soothing feeling, even if it was through thick clothing.

“Thank you Keith.” He reached out to grab and squeeze his fingers as he came up to his head, smiling at him and watching the blush fall over his skin and he wasted nothing more than to run his fingers over it.

“You do it for me all the time.” Keith shrugged, liking the thanks all the same. “Up, let me sit you stupidly tall human.”

“Not my fault.” Shiro chuckled, arm falling over the others lap as he sat, head dropping onto cushioned thighs, catching himself too late and nuzzling into them. Keith looked down, his heart fluttering as he felt the elder hum contently. He smiled and ran his hand down the side of his back to soothe him further. “Want the Tv?”

“They get TV out here?” Keith raised an eyebrow and he nodded pointing and the Tv tuned on, some show coming on. 

“Allura found some Earth box sets, all loaded on the system, the remote should be next to you.” He blinked calm grey eyes up and Keith smiled at him, grabbing the remote and flicking to the saved videos. 

"Have a preference?" He started clicking through them and stopped when he came across a bunch of kids shows. “Really?”

“Allura had no idea, who are you to say that the Princess picked child’s shows?” Shiro raised an eyebrow and the other shrugged.

“Point, you won’t complain when we watch this then.” He clicked on his childhood favourite and felt the other snort in his lap.

“Wake me up when your leg goes dead.” He yawned and curled his hand between his thighs, gripping it like some teddy and comforting them both at the same time. Keith watched the man’s silver eyes close, fingers daring to brush his snowy fringe out of his face, scratching his scalp slightly when the hum came back. A soft smile made its own way across his face as he let his hands explore the man’s back, curling around his arms and neck to remember the feeling for later. 

Shiro let the other touch, his starved body relaxing more with each swipe of his fingers and he sighed contently, nuzzling closer under the gauze of sleep, smiling slightly.

 

 

***

 

“Shiro?” Keith knocked on his door, rubbing his eyes and barely awake.

“Keith?” The man answered the door, his tank top falling off one shoulder and sweat pants low on his hips. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought, I must, I guess I dreamed it, I thought you’d left.” He rubbed his eyes again, reaching out to touch the others chest to reassure himself. 

“I’m not going anywhere Keith.” He smiled sadly. They had been on a bad mission, the opposition had captured the younger man and the team spent days trying to find him, since then he had turned up every night. “Come here you.” He opened his arms and the bleary eyed paladin dropped into them, face tucked into his pecks as he was curled as close as he could. 

"I do this every night don’t I?” He mumbled into the taller man’s chest who rubbed soothing circles on his back. He had started staying up until the younger man came to him, the idea of him not getting the door opened made him panic, he didn’t want to know what that would cause. 

“Come on, my bed’s big enough for both of us.” He started walking them both backwards, closing the door when he realised that Keith was actually asleep on his feet. He smiled at his friend, it had been over a year since they made their pact, but they were still awkwardly dancing around feelings and they both knew it, even if they had no idea how to broach the topic. He curled his arm under the smallers legs, cradling him to his chest and depositing him on the cold side of his bed, pulling the covers over him before going to his side. He curled over to watch the way the low lights caught the planes of Keith’s face, lighting him mostly silver, the dark shadows catching the side pressed to the pillow where he was sniffling slightly. Shiro frowned, reaching out to run his hand over the exposed cheek soothingly, sighing when the other nuzzled into it. He still hadn’t told them what had happened whilst he was captured, but Shiro could hardly push on that point when he still kept his own memories locked shut. 

As he pulled his hand back he let his finger dance over the bridge of the man’s nose, down past his slightly parted lips and tried to ignore the way his breath ghosting over them sent shivers down his spine. 

“What’s wrong?” Suddenly purple eyes blinked up at him and Shiro pulled his hand away, blushing into the darkness and refusing to catch his gaze. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” He shrugged, smiling in the dim light. Keith smiled back, just as gently, and shuffled closer to his friend. 

“Thank you Shiro, but it’s a little cold.” He nudged the man’s arm until it lifted and curled around his shoulders, dragging his head onto the well-toned chest muscles he admired far too often.

“Well I can fix that.” He smiled and let his arms comfortably cradle the other man to him, his body relaxing as their breathing synced.

“Night.” Keith hummed contently, letting his hand splay out across the other side of his chest. He didn’t get a reply because he got a low snore instead.

 

 

*** 

 

“Guys!” Shiro shouted down the comms, freaking when he only got three replies. “Where is Keith?” His heart started to pound in his chest, he had known it was too early to take him back out, it had merely been a week and a half. The other man was at his door every night and he was still just as locked up about everything, but the call had been put out as urgent so they had to respond.

“He was with us three seconds ago; I nearly took him out with a blast!” Pidge shouted back, manoeuvring her lion away from a blast from the enemy ship. “I lost sight after that.”

“Shit shit shit shit shit.” Shiro started chanting under his breath, swinging Black around so he could count all of his team, the red lion missing. “Where the hell is he?” He scanned again, Black sensing his discomfort and swinging him out of the way of the blast. His heart was beating a million miles an hour in his chest, breathing rapid and panicked. He needed to get his head in the game. 

“Come on Shiro! We can’t defeat this thing and help him if you’re a mess!” Lance shouted and he snapped out of his bubble, shaking his head until it was back in the game. He swung Black around, nailing the main cannon in one shot and the shooting stopped momentarily. “Nice shot Cap!” 

“Get them down guys!” The head shouted and suddenly Allura’s voice came through. 

“Don’t panic, Keith is here! We got attacked and he took out the ship, but it got a good shot in, his comms are down.” The Princess must have heard the sigh of relief that shot through the eldest and she smiled to herself. “Finish the job Paladins.”

“Thank you Allura, let’s get this over with guys.” Shiro let his shoulders relax as the group came in as one, blowing the ship to pieces. 

 

Shiro came up from his dock under the main ship hold and saluted the Princess before speed walking to his room, everything feeling too tight even though he was out of his flight gear. His skin felt too close to his body, castrating his lungs and blocking off his breaths. He was essentially sprinting when his door came into view, placing his hand over the lock to be scanned and falling through the space onto his knees. 

“Shit, are you ok?” The doors slid shut and clicked to point out they were locked, Keith coming into his blurred vision as he gasped for the air he just couldn’t seem to reach. One hand come out and gripped the other paladin’s shirt, dragging him close enough to press his face into the others neck. “I got you, deep breaths Shiro, come on.” Keith wrapped both arms around the man, one circling his back and the other gripping the back of his neck, trying to breathe deep enough to get the point across.

“Don’t. You. Dare. Do. That. Again.” Each word was strained, punctuated by a heavy breath and it made Keith’s heart twist in his chest.

“I know I should have told you.”

“Damn right you should have.” Shiro cut in, lips moving against the bare skin of the youngers neck and making it erupt in goose bumps. 

“I’m sorry, but it was one stray ship, it shouldn’t have even got the hit in, my comms haven’t ever broken before.” He tried to explain, head tilted forward to lean on the soft fuzz on the back of Shiro’s neck, inhaling his scent and relaxing as he realised the breaths were evening out. 

“I swear to God I’m getting Allura to put a tracking device in you.” Shiro pulled back enough to stare into the deep amethyst eyes in front of him, tasting his breath on his lips and letting the stress fall from his shoulders. 

“I hate to admit that’s not a bad idea.” Keith chuckled nervously, not being able to hold the intensity of the others silver orbs so he looked down, leaning back and running his hand through the long strands of hair at the back of his neck. 

“You have no idea what…I…Fuck Keith.” Shiro bought both hands up to his cheeks, gripping so he could look back up. He was biting his lip so hard it had gone white. “You have no idea what the thought of losing you again did to me.”

“I heard, I was back in the tower and it came through the castle to me.” He admitted, a shy smile playing on his lips. “I think the others kept you in check well enough.”

“They shouldn’t have to; you should always be on my side you idiot.” The elder breathed out a slightly terrified laugh and let his flesh hand stroke back through that soft, even if slightly sweaty, hair, tugging on the ends.

“Right hand man and all?” Keith chuckled, blinking slowly but leaning into the hand all the same.

“You idiot.” Shiro shifted forwards, foreheads resting against each other as they just stayed there, breathing the same air and relaxing fully, hands just exploring the other because no one could stop them doing so.

“But at least you want me there?” Keith gave in and his voice tremored slightly, old habits and insecurities die hard and all.

“Always, who else is gonna look after me?” Shiro assured, fingers finding those soft locks again and carding through them gently. A gentle smile played on his lips, breath seeping out between them as his eyes softened, drinking in all that he could of the other. 

“Anyone else?” He tried to lighten the mood, desperate to hide his insecurities from the man, but Shiro shook his head, frowning slightly.

“Yeah sure, they will look out for me, but I want you looking after me.” He leant forwards finally, eyes closed as he pressed his lips gently to the open ones in front of him. He let his mouth linger or a few seconds, wanting nothing more than to stay there forever but the other man had gone still under him so he reluctantly pulled away. “Keith?” He opened his eyes to find the purple irises staring mostly black at him and he sat back, chest pounding at the fact that he had clearly misread not just this situation, but the whole year and suddenly he felt like an imbecilic child. “Shit, I’m sorry. I...” He was stuttering and trying to move out of the way when suddenly his whole body was thrown backwards, Keith coming down on top of him as his back hit the floor and his mouth as sealed to the others. He squeaked very undignified but caught on to the program quickly, hands searching for a hold on the smaller man’s hips as arms bracketed around his head. 

“Don’t you dare.” Keith breathe against his lips, pulling back to nibble on that damn full bottom one before peppering him with little pecks all over his face, making sure to follow the line of his scar and down those sharp cheekbones. Shiro simply moaned, chasing his mouth until he could lick along the seam of them, tasting him like a man dying of thirst whilst these low pitched whines were escaping his throat and fucking with everything in Keith’s head. “Shiro.”

“Shh Baby, I know.” The elder man hummed, nipping his chin and up his jawline, tugging just the right amount to get him to tilt his head and give him all the access he needed. Whilst his lips latched onto the spot beneath Keith’s ear, the moan loud enough to shock Shiro and cause a groan in response, he rolled them over so he was pinning the younger underneath him. “I got you.” He kissed down the column of pale neck whilst his resolve completely broke and his fingers hitched up the front of that tight black shirt.

“Shiro.” Keith whined again, wiggling his way out of his shirt so that he could feel the other, whining when lips collided with his chest. He let the cold of the floor sink into his skin to keep him grounded enough to realise that this was happening, that he got to kiss this man, this incredible perfect amazing man. He gripped the others jaw as he started kissing his navel and pulled enough that he slid up his body again, lips connecting forcefully, teeth clashing in unpractised haste. 

“You gotta be cold, come on Baby, bed’s warm.” He was suddenly being picked up and deposited on the bed, the man pulled away enough to take off his outer layers before pressing down against the smaller man again. He pushed them both up the bed so that Keith’s head was on the pillow and he could essentially roll his whole body down. Keith gripped at the back of his neck, fingers staying in his hair because he knew that Shiro didn’t like his body being touched. The fact that even after all this time Keith still didn’t push him to take his shirt off, went out of his way to realise that there was a reason he was so damn sensitive over his skin. To force himself to not touch even though Shiro had his hands all over his upper body, his very naked upper body. Shiro took a deep breath and sat up enough to pull his shirt over his head before he could think himself out of the movement. 

Keith stuttered as he reached out, watching Shiro’s sudden confidence melt away as his hand was still wrapped around his top. He sat up, drinking in each perfect plane of muscle, fingers tracing the definition over his abs, thumbs dipping into the V line disappearing into his trousers. He let his eyes roam the scarred skin, the deep gashes that had left grooves in his body big enough to trace with his little finger, and growled that someone dare hurt his Shiro like that. Suddenly he pushed the other back, kissing him and slipping between his hips, hand forcing the other to drop his shirt as he kissed over each puncture wound, licking along the scars that were as long as his hand. Every inch of his upper body was kissed, licked or stroked and by the end Keith realised that the other was crying silently. He crawled up to Shiro’s face, hands pushing away the two over his face. 

“I know, I, I, I.” Shiro stuttered, trying to grab the blanket and draw it over himself, but Keith wouldn’t let him. 

“You are perfect Shiro.” Keith kissed his nose and then his lips, moaning at the taste and rolling his hips down into the others, gasping at the contact. “Gorgeous, my gorgeous Shiro.” He started kissing down the man’s sharp jaw, kissing between each slowing sniff and hiccup, licking between his pecks and over his nipple. He found out that had all kinds of good repercussions when hips rose and ground against his own so he did it again, eyes fluttering shut as he closed his lips over the bud and sucked. Shiro whimpered and tanged his hands in the raven hair, tugging gently before he started gasping, Keith hand having wiggled down between them to rub over his growing erection. 

“Keith!” He rasped, moaning and throwing his head back against the cushions in mock defeat. He wanted nothing more than to touch the other but he was also terrified to look down at himself regardless of how Keith seemed to view his destroyed skin. 

“Let me take care of you Shiro. Want me to touch you?” Keith came to his side so that he could hold himself up comfortably, leg slipping between the others and pinning him. His arm was propping his head up as he leant over to kiss him deeply, sucking his breath away like it was his own life force.

“Yes, please, don’t stop touching me.” He panted, reaching to drag Keith’s upper half over his own and sinking into the feeling of protection and safety, tensing slightly when fingertips wigged their way underneath the hem of his underpants.

“Tell me if you want me to stop Shiro.” Keith instructed against his mouth, sensing the hesitation instantly and stilling his hand. 

“No, don’t, please?” He blinked up at the other with a panicked expression and even though he seemed to be fighting a war with himself his hand dipped lower, fingers brushing over the head of the other’s penis. He ran soft fingers down the shaft, curling around and back up the other side just as gently, waiting for the next freak out. When his head was grabbed he went to move but Shiro literally keened under him, hips snapping forwards as lips collided. Keith assumed that was good and used his grip properly, pumping him awkwardly under pants but also knowing that Shiro had enough trouble taking his top off after over a year of tiptoeing around each other. There was no way he was going to push the other man too soon. He quickly learnt that being slow earned him low moans and bitten lips, hands clutching at his body and almost bruising him with the force of the grip when he sped up. 

The moans turned into whimpers and whines, raspy things against his skin when he lost the ability to actually kiss him. Keith sucked all the noises in like praise, moving down to lick over the other’s nipple which literally flicked a switch and suddenly he went stiff, back arched off the mattress with a shout of Keith’s name was his hand was painted in hot streaks. 

Keith let him finish before drawing his hand away, grabbing a tissue to wipe the mess off of his skin as Shiro panted next to him, hands still clutching him close as his head found its way into the smaller man’s neck, inhaling deeply with a satisfied sigh. Keith hummed contently and settled down, dragging Shiro over his chest to curl up, hands carding though sweaty hair as he caught his breath. 

“Keith?” Shiro mumbled as he came back down, blinking up at the other who just kissed the tip of his nose, adoring the flush that filled his cheeks. 

“Hey Babe.” Keith chuckled as Shiro seemed to understand what had happened, face getting tucked into the others chest with a whine. “Come back here I want kisses.” 

“But you.” Shiro gestured down to Keith who shrugged, blushing beet red as he blew his hair away from his face. 

“I’m good.” He grabbed Shiro’s face so that he could just kiss him as the other made an understanding O shape with his damn inviting mouth. 

“Yes you are.” Shiro chuckled and carded his fingers through his hair, smiling against his mouth. “Thank you Baby.”

“No need for that.” Keith breathed against his mouth but kissed him again anyway, drawing him into a tight hug as long as he could stand the feeling of release in his boxers. “But I do need a shower.”

“Me too. Want to go first?” Shrio bit his lip, wishing he could join him but also knowing that was a defo no go at the moment. He hated it but he was already itching to put his shirt back on, regardless to the number of kisses he had received. 

“Ok Babe, I won’t be too long.” Keith promised, kissing him once more before disappearing into the bathroom, the door left unlocked. Shiro went in after he head the water running, grabbing a clean towel and leaving a pair of his underwear and shorts in there for him to find. 

 

By the time Shiro came out of his bathroom, shirt and sleep pants already on, Keith was tucked up in his bed, half asleep as he reached out as if for a teddy. Shiro smiled down at him and turned off the lights, getting wrapped up in protective arms and getting his head kissed before he was adorably suffocated in a vice like hug. He chuckled, the scent of the others body keeping him from panicking, and wiggled until he was the big spoon, dragging Keith around and back to him, ass pressed firmly to his crotch but it was ok. He didn’t have to be ashamed about the fact he was sure there would be an issue for them to deal with in the morning. Especially when Keith wiggled against him to get comfortable, forcing both Shiro’s arms around him tightly.


	2. issue 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this was only meant to be a one shot. oh well. they won!

“Get your butt off of me Lance.” Keith literally threw the other man off of him, landing heavily on the training room floor a few feet away. 

“You’re being such a grump Keith.” Lance huffed, throwing his helmet to the side and curling up around himself, rubbing his butt as best he could. 

“Just stop touching me.” Keith warned, eyes sharp and mouth set. His hair was spilling out under his helmet and his hands twitched around his Bayard like he wanted to throw it at someone, that someone specifically being Lance. 

“We’re training Smart Ass, what did you expect?” Lance stood up and stormed to where his Bayard was resting on the floor a few feet away, checking it over and tucking it away. 

“You get too close when you fight Lance. You need to learn how to hold yourself back.” Keith grumbled, letting his gloved hands fall over his face in frustration. 

“Not all of us have a god-damned sword to fight with, some of us have to get close if we can’t aim.” Lance kicked is boot as he left the training area. He looked back at the crumpled paladin on the floor, wanting to go over and help him but also sick to death of not getting anything apart from negative, spiteful words whenever he tried. He didn’t deserve to get the brunt of Keith’s anger. Regardless of why he was so angry he needed to learn how to get over himself. So Lance left, the doors sliding shut with a click and headed down to the medical bay. 

Keith laid on the floor, letting out a groan from the few good hits the other had gotten in, and refused to get up. He knew he was being an asshole, but he couldn’t help it. They had been waiting for the last three weeks, waiting to get any news from the cryo pods, waiting to help, to fix or to move but nothing. And there had been so many changes in the solar system. They had done it, they had taken out the main flag ship of the Garla, they had beaten the whole army into submission and scattered its forces. He just wanted to go back, to fix what he fucked over again, to work it out and save the others. He covered his eyes again, teeth digging into his lip hard enough to draw blood. 

***

Lance walked into the room and patted Pidge on the shoulder, rousing them and earning a smack to the legs.

“Come on Pidge, you’ll get cramp seeping there.” He sat on the sofa they had dragged in and they just curled up in his arms, tugging the blanket Lance recognised as actually being one of Shiro’s jumpers, over shoulders and mumbling into sleep. He looked down at the green Paladin, just as exhausted as the rest of them and ran his hand through the longer hairs at the base of their head. He knew they had all become family since joining Voltron, but it did make him miss home more when they all got comfortable. 

They were all taking different shifts to watch over the Cryo pods, knowing that someone had to be there when it opened, but it wasn’t helping that Keith was adamantly refusing to step foot in the room. Whist they all just wanted Shiro back, it was clear to all of them that Keith was taking literally all the guilt over it. Just like every other time something had gone wrong he had taken it all on his own shoulders, not wanting to burden the other Paladins. It clearly hurt him to see Shiro in the pod, knowing that the other may well not come out, if he did there may well be something different about him. 

Lance sat with Pidge in his lap, absently running his hand through their hair and chuckling when little words or mumbles escaped their lips. He couldn’t help the fact that seeing his leader literally frozen hurt him, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the still figure in front of him, the stillness was uncomfortable. He let his eyes close and huffed out the last of the stress in his shoulders from thinking of Keith. 

***

Keith watched from the control panel in Red, watched the others taking shifts in the medical bay, watched how they all comforted each other, how more often than not Pidge was either tinkering or falling asleep on someone. Hunk bought everyone food, Coran came in every day to fiddle with the pod, which he was making a conscious effort not to look in, and talk to Shiro even though he would get no response. He felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest, gasping for air as the images flicked in front of his eyes again, watching as Black was hit with the blast that Keith should have knocked her out of the way of. The image of the whole side of the Lion literally melting as the blast hit dead on. He could hear the screams, all of them mixing together. He could see how Hunk had flown forward to grab her out of the sky, melting the mouth of Yellow from the heat coming off of the blast hole. He could see himself literally throwing Red so fast forward that he took out the last cannon on the ship with a blast himself, ripping out the bottom of the ship and filling it with space, hearing the people inside dying from the atmosphere, watching as the ship lost power. They had already taken out the front ship, this was just some flag ship. He had been so angry that he personally took out three other ships before flying back to Castle Lion. He had gone in the medical bay just in time to see the others being as gentle as they could with the other man, trying to get him in the pod without removing any more of the skin that was physically melted on his body. He had thrown up promptly before running to the training room to lock himself away. 

“Keith?” Allura knocked on the side of Red and she opened to let the Princess in. “Oh Keith.” The princess curled her arms around the Paladin who stiffened but she didn’t release him. He eventually turned into her embrace and clutched her close, tears slipping down his cheeks freely and sobs wracking through his body. She moved them easily, pulling him into her lap on the floor and rocking them slightly. “I got you.”

“Why?” He hiccupped and curled his fingers out of her dress, wiping his face and stuttering for breath. 

“Because sometime you can’t control everything.” She hushed him and wiped the missed tears from his cheeks, her soft skin a huge difference from his own paladin gloves. 

“It’s not fair.” He huffed, head tilting into her shoulder as she rubbed circles on his back. 

“It never is.” She promised as he calmed down enough to sit up. “But he will come back to us.”

“Why would he want me after I let him down?” He shuddered and she shook her head at him.

“No no no Keith, he wouldn’t ever not want you.” She tried to reassure him but he just shook his head. 

“I should have got him out of the way.” He squared his eyes with hers, purple meeting blue with far too much honesty. “I should have been the one not him. You guys need him.”

“Don’t you dare Keith. We all need you.” She hushed him but he wiped his face again, resolute in his decision. 

“It should have been. If I could trade with him I would.” He stood up and paced a couple of times. She just stared at him from the floor before elegantly picking herself up. 

“Paladin.” She stopped him in his tracks, arms folded and foot tapping. He sniffed and stood sloppily to attention. “You will say no such thing. What is done is done. We need you, Red needs you, your Team need you. Get your attitude sorted Keith. You need to buck your ideas up because everyone is hurting, not just you.” 

He seemed to flinch but nodded, meeker than she had ever seen, to the point she thought Red might kick him out. The Lion felt upset as her Paladin and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. 

“Yes Princess, sorry.” He looked up at her quickly before stepping back so she could reach the exit he was stood in front of. 

“Come out for dinner tonight?” She softened her tone and rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to open up but he just nodded. It scared her more than the fact that by now Shiro hadn’t woken up. Keith was the impulsive red Paladin. Not the mess of a person stood in front of her. She didn’t know if he would ever be the same, or even if he would be able to fly Red again, he hadn’t tried since the accident, but the fact that he may not scared her. “See you there.”

 

***

 

Keith got up from his chair and ran his hands over the controls of Red, leaning over to kiss the dash before slipping out of the Lion, getting out of his armour, following the smell of food. He hadn’t even eaten a full meal since the accident, he just ate half of what Hunk would leave outside his room whenever he suddenly felt like he should. 

“Keith.” Pidge walked over to him and wrapped their arms around his stomach, ignoring the way he stiffened and didn’t hug back straight away. “Come get dinner.” They led him to the healing room and he dug his heels in. “Come on Keith, we’re all there.” 

“But.” He panicked and Pidge grabbed his wrists.

“No Buts. Shiro needs you now, therefore you get your ass in there.” Pidge hissed and he swallowed thickly, following when they walked on. He stepped over the threshold slowly but made his way over to sit next to Hunk, who simply put a plate in front of him and squeezed his shoulder. There was quiet chatter, there was always quiet chatter with Lance and Coran in a room, but it didn’t help him want to eat any more. Shiro was looking better. His skin wasn’t melted any more, his scar still there but no more were on his face. The metal arm was a mess of twisted drips but he assumed that Allura would be able to help with fixing that when he was out. The heart monitor beeped quietly in the background and before he realised it the others had all retired for the night. 

He checked he was alone before standing up and pushing his uneaten dinner away, pressing his fingers to the glass covering his boyfriend. 

“I’m sorry Shiro.” He whispered and pressed his forehead against the cool glass. “I fucked up didn’t I? I was meant to save you from everything.” He chuckled darkly. “I couldn’t even warn you and now look what happened? I shouldn’t have come to space; you should have had someone who could actually do their job properly.” 

Lance pressed his back to the doorframe and bit his lip, listening in to the other who was speaking louder than he realised. 

“I love you Shiro, I always have. You should know that even if you don’t care when you come back, just come back ok? I can deal with you not liking me anymore but I can’t deal with you not coming back. The others need you, I can go if you want me to. I can leave the others to you, you always know what to do.” Keith let tears fall over his cheeks at the admittance, hating every one but knowing that they were true. 

Lance covered his mouth and held back the want to run in and wrap Keith up. He hadn’t realised that the two others had been close enough to have declared the L word. That was why he was being such an asshole then? That was why he didn’t go out of his way to help others, but would bend over backwards to do anything Shiro asked. That was why he refused to go in the room for weeks. Why he didn’t really want to be around the others, or in the room where his comatose boyfriend was. He backed up and went to find Hunk, wanting to tell him what he had heard. 

 

***

 

Keith woke up to someone shaking him and immediately shot his hand out in a punch. There was a loud squeak and he opened his eyes groggily, realising he had punched Lance clean in the face. 

“What?” He rubbed his face but the other just waved at him, hand cupping his nose. “You should know not to wake me up.”

“I’ve never woken you up before you asshole. Get up before you can’t move in the morning.” He gestured to where Keith was, crumpled on the floor, back to Shiro’s Pod, head tilted forwards. He could actually feel the cramp in his neck, just to add insult to injury. 

“Sorry.” He got up and clicked out his back, moving to the sofa. 

“It’s cool man. Want company?” Lance offered and the other raised an eyebrow. “We’re usually in here in twos.”

“I’m good thanks.” He scratched the back of his neck but accepted the pat on the arm from the other man. 

“Sleep well Mullet.” Lance wished, no malice but also wanting to try and get things back to as normal as possible. 

“You too.” He didn’t even bite, making Lance that bit more worried. 

 

***

 

Keith stared at his other half, still frozen even if his vitals seemed to be improving. He looked kind of at peace but also kind of like he was you know, frozen. He huffed and picked at the food in front of him, breakfast Hunk had called it, even though it looked nothing like the cereal or toast from home. Damn he missed cereal. 

“You know what I miss? Breakfast. Proper cooked breakfast with crispy bacon, toast, melted butter, beans, hash browns, fuck I miss hash browns.” Keith mumbled, half aiming his conversation towards the man in front of him. “I miss orange juice and fizzy pops that taste of nothing but sugar and air.” He started and it just all came spilling out. “I miss cake and frosting, I miss cookies and sushi, I miss the kind of sour sweets that make your whole face scrunch up.” He chuckled. “I wish we had some of them, I would give so many to Lance, he’s not the worst person in the world really.” He looked around self-consciously to check the nuisance himself hadn’t wandered in. “I wish that we could have proper food, it would make everything better, rather than goop.” He announced and watched the heart monitor spike a couple of times, but the other didn’t wake up. He sighed and finished poking his food around. “I miss you Shiro. It’s been a month, come back to me please?” He got up to put his plate in the kitchen and stretch his legs, even though he had been reluctant before he couldn’t tear himself away from the man now, only to train or to eat if he got too fidgety. 

 

***

 

Shiro could hear the others in the room, but his body wouldn’t respond. It was already repressing so much he wasn’t sure how much more he could handle, but it did help. It hurt when he could hear the others talking about someone not being there, his heart seemed to tug even if his head had no clue who they were. 

When the said person seemed to be in the room the atmosphere changed, everything started healing better, quicker than before. He seemed to be able to hear things better, especially when it was just the two of them in the room. He desperately tried to remember who it was, but no one came to mind. The last person who he had been close friends with was way back on earth and he could tell he wasn’t there.

Why couldn’t he remember? This person was clearly of import, especially when he heard them tell him of their love. He suddenly felt guilty at not knowing who it was. How the hell can he feel guilty? He’s in a gods-be-damned coma. Was that too much knowledge for a coma patient to have? 

Probably. 

 

***

 

Keith was in the training deck for as long as he could stand, knowing that Shiro was improving was making his training stints shorter and shorter. He sliced through the robot and thought back to when Shiro had come to him, the first time, when they made their pact. Tears threatened and he dispelled his Bayard, hooking it to his jeans because he wasn’t in armour (Yeah yeah Shiro chew him out for it later) but he just had to get back as quick as he could. 

On his way back he grabbed a space lemonade and an ice pack, icing his dodgy knee as he entered. Hunk patted him on the shoulder and yawned as he walked past, going to bed. Keith’s body clock was beyond screwed without Shiro there to manage him so he just sat down on the sofa. 

“See? I can look after myself some times.” He waved the blue pack at Shiro before putting it back against his jeans. “I know it would be better under jeans but anyone could walk in here, how bad would that look?” Keith rolled his eyes like Shiro was actually talking back to him and felt his heart strings pull just a bit tighter. “Coran says you should defrost any day now. Come on Babe, you know you can.” He smiled and suddenly the pod actually moved, hissing as it released air and Keith spilled his drink all over his lap in the sudden jump that followed it. He ran forward, catching Shiro as he fell out, grunting under the weight but managing to drag him into his lap on the floor before his eyes opened. 

“Damn it worked.” Keith breathed and clutched the other close whilst he seemed to be getting his bearings. “Hey Shiro.” 

“Hello?” The other coughed and Keith pulled back enough to let him breathe, dragging one of Pidges large collection of blankets off of the sofa to cover them. “What happened?”

“You were, you were shot, you’ve been fixing in the pod for the last month and a bit.” Keith explained, holding him so that he could sit up on his own but afraid that if he lost contact then they may never get him back. 

“Ok, how did I escape?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, hand coming up to rub his face and getting started by the cold mess of his metal arm. 

“We bought you back? Your suit kept you mostly safe, the Pod healed what it could but it doesn’t work on tech, Pidge already has a couple of prototypes for your arm replacement don’t worry.” He tried to ease the strain by clasping what was left of the hand in his own, warming it up slightly.

“Pidge?” Shiro seemed to stress at the touch but also couldn’t drag himself away for some reason, his body was saying that the man with all the hair was safe. 

“Yeah? About yey high? Glasses? Green paladin? Usually has a laptop around?” Keith described, chuckling slightly. 

“Shiro!” Someone yelled from the door and the man flinched.

“That’s them.” Keith explained as the whole group seemed to fall around them, all tugging at Shiro who was just getting more and more confused and still. “Shiro?”

“Why are you touching me? Who are you?” Everyone pulled away and stared at the man who was almost vibrating by now. “Where am I? How did I get away?”

“Shiro, come on man, it’s us, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Coran, and Keith.” Lance pointed at everyone but the blank look he received was only seconded by the horror filling Keith’s feature from behind him. “You’re in Castle Lion.”

“Where? Why am I here? Garla had me?” Shiro turned to look at Keith, watching as tears silently fell down his cheeks, hair covering most of his face. 

“No buddy, that was nearly two years ago.” Hunk placed a comforting hand on his shoulder but Shiro just stared at it until he removed it. 

“Memory loss after such a traumatic event isn’t uncommon guys. It’s ok he’ll remember at some point.” Coran tried to smooth over, reaching to grab a couple of instruments. “I’m Coran, do you mind if I run a few tests to check your vitals are ok?” 

 

*** 

 

Keith was numb, he was in his own room for the first time in months, he had been wrapped in one of Shiro’s jumpers but it was now just in a pile at the foot of the bed. How could he forget? Everything? Was everything for nothing. He really was forgettable if Shiro could forget him twice. He had forgotten after his first trip to the Garla, he had forgotten that he even knew Keith, but he didn’t take that personally, he understood. But this? After all that time literally living together? Nothing? He let the sobs fill his body. 

Lance paused outside the Red Paladins room. He hadn’t been at dinner, he had disappeared not long after Coran announced that Shiro was sound and healthy, should get his memories back when he was ready. He could hear the other crying, could feel the way his breath caught in his chest and he desperately wanted to go to him but he also knew that Keith may not appreciate it. Maybe he should send Pidge, he liked Pidge more. He backed away as a literal wail of pain filled the corridor and he swallowed thickly, pacing away from the door. 

 

***

 

Shiro could feel something was wrong. He had washed, struggling with the busted arm, finding a whole draw of clothes that were too small for him before he found a top that he could get into with one arm. His sweat pants were a welcome sight after he stood glaring at the button up trousers for five ticks. He felt like there was something missing, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. There was someone else on his corridor, he could hear them in pain but he also didn’t know who it was and he wasn’t exactly comfortable to go and see. No matter what his heart was saying. 

As he lay in bed he thought about how weird dinner had been, the goo tasted of nothing but there had been a decidedly empty seat next to him. Allura had been next to him at the head of the table, she was the Princess of Castle Lion, she had explained, telling him that he was her Black Paladin, whatever that was. His Lion(?) was damaged but between the huge smiley guy called Hunk, and the little firecracker called Pidge, she was nearly better. He had nodded, not understanding anything but also wanting to fit in. he didn’t want to appear like something that was replaceable, even if he felt like it. 

That sound was almost like someone was getting tortured, and dark alley ways, dim purple lights, little food and blistering cold suddenly flashed across his mind, making him grip the sheets hard enough to rip them. He suddenly sat up, panting until the panic left him and the sound had dimmed a bit. His heart was constricting in his chest; he was sure it was trying to kill him. He laid down on his side to try and release the pain but it did nothing, exhaustion eventually taking over. 

 

*** 

 

“Has anyone seen Keith in the last few weeks?” Pidge walked into the breakfast hall in fluffy slippers, hair in all directions and everyone seemed to shrug.

“I’ve heard him in the training room. He spends a lot of time down with Red.” Lance offered, sipping his tea like substance thoughtfully. 

“He scurries into the kitchen after everyone else has gone to bed, I’ve been leaving him dinner.” Coran informed. “He’s gone back to being nocturnal.”

“I mean, the universe isn’t relying on us, I guess I understand why.” Hunk kept his glance away from Shiro but everyone else felt it. They knew exactly why he wasn’t around but that didn’t make Shiro feel any better. He knew that Keith was the one sharing his corridor now, and that the guy seemed to get terrible night terrors, usually because they were happening around the time he got up to train. He felt like a huge chunk of his life was missing, something important. He could vaguely remember the other Paladins, knew that Lance was cocky, Pidge was intelligent and that Hunk was the only one you trusted to make your food, but he couldn’t get a read on Keith. He hadn’t seen him since the day he came out of cryo and it didn’t take the led taste from the back of his mouth that everyone seemed to be tip toeing around the fact that he didn’t know something. 

“Maybe someone should talk to him?” Allura asked, concern filling her voice. She was concerned for her Paladin, having been strangely fond of him and his impulsive nature that reflected a lot of what she wished she could be. The fact that he knew he was the reason stung in a way he didn’t expect.

“I could try?” Shiro offered but Hunk shook his head, hair fanning out around his bandana. 

“I wouldn’t. You know how he is, Keith’s good at locking the world out.” He soothed, forgetting that no, he didn’t know, but he let it slide. 

“Princess?” A voice came over the tannoy and everyone jumped, Lance throwing the rest of his drink over his front.

“Yes Keith.” She clicked a button and his face popped up on a hologram screen in front of her. 

“Can I take Red out?” He smiled at her but it was weak. He was already in his armour, seated in the Lion who they could all hear purring through he comms. Shiro wanted desperately to shift so he could see the other clearly but Allura just pressed a couple more buttons. 

“Don’t do anything stupid Keith.” She warned and he chuckled darkly.

“I think you have me mistaken for Lance Allura.” He cut the chat as Lance started shouting indignantly at him, though they were all secretly glad he was teasing. He hadn’t even bitten at Lance with a teasing jab since the accident and something seemed to calm in everyone at that. Shiro hated that he didn’t feel any of the relaxation hey others seemed to. 

“Is that a good sign?” Hunk looked out the huge windows at the Red lion arcing gracefully through the stars, hopping over bits of debris and hovering when he found something he liked. 

“That Red still flies for him? Most definitely.” Allura pressed her slender fingers to his shoulder.

“You thought she wouldn’t?” Lance piped in, sitting on the floor and watching the other man fly. “He loves Red.”

“Is that the Keith who she picked? He acts like anything but the Red Paladin at the moment. I am surprised she lets him fly, look how safe he’s being.” She pointed to how he ducked under the mess of asteroids around the planet they were orbiting. 

“He loves fighting that stuff, he used to go out of his way to mess about in belts.” Pidge sat next to Lance and watched the pilot avoid the rocks. “Used to scare the shit out of, Shiro.” They tailed off, looking back at the man who was simply glaring at the sky.

“He wasn’t this tame though.” Lance pointed as the Lion just seemed to hover on the spot, scanning the rocks and taking a sample. “Looks like he’s got you a present Pidge.”

“I was saying I wanted one last night.” They pushed the glasses up the bridge of their nose. “I guess he’s not as far away as we think he is of an evening.”

“I mean; he did have a habit of bringing you stuff.” Lance poked Hunk who was watching Shiro. He seemed to be reliving something but it was like he couldn’t understand. 

Shiro watched as the Lion arced through different asteroid belts, flushing out enemy’s that the others couldn’t get to, he was the better pilot. He blinked and suddenly he gasped for breath, clutching the side of the table with both his flesh hand and the new prosthetic. 

“Shiro.” Allura walked over to him and he caught his breath, loosening his grip as he breathed out. “You with us?” 

“Yeah, why is he so good?” He pointed at the Lion who was nearing the Castle again, circling a few times and slowing down, the Lion gliding around slowly but controlled. 

“He was the best pilot in the Garrison, he had a bit of a rep though, after the Kerberos mission went up in smoke he got kicked out, something about throwing his weight around with people more important than him. Him and Red went through a lot.” Hunk informed and Allura tilted her head to the side. 

“He was kicked out for punching above his weight?” She raised an eyebrow but Hunk just shrugged. 

“He’s always been good at punching above his weight, let’s face it he’s a bit hot headed.” Hunk turned back to the others. 

“Not anymore” Pidge sighed and got up. “I’m going to run some tests on Black but she should be up and running fine now.”

“Thank you Pidge.” Allura called and checked the watch on her slender wrist. “I suppose I should go get ready too.” Her hand ran over Shiro’s shoulders as she walked past him. 

“What happened?” Shiro got up and walked over to the window, watching the Lion blast a couple of rocks that were sort of threatening to hit the Castle with ease.

“You.” Lance squeaked as Hunk pushed him over. 

“What do you mean?” Shiro gripped both their shoulders and they seemed to have an entirely silent conversation. “Please.”

“You two were kind of inseparable. Then when you got hit, he took all the blame upon himself. He’s good at that.” Hunk tried to soften the blow but Shiro still felt his chest give, crumpling to the ground as scattered memories flashed before him. Them laughing, the feeling of the others legs over his own, them both in some washed up shack. He could almost hear the way the other called his name, feel the hands touching him to reassure and bring him back to where he was. He let out a broken sob and looked up from the floor to the two other paladins gripping a shoulder each, waiting it out. 

“Easy Big Guy, we’re here.” Hunk soothed and he scrubbed both hands over his face, the smoothness of the metal still catching him off guard. He suddenly wondered what Keith would think of the new piece, sleeker than the previous one, lacking the ability to be his weapon but Pidge was ‘working’ on it, which terrified him slightly. 

“I’m here.” He nodded and stood, swallowing thickly. “I think I may hit the training deck, need to get used to working with tools and not my arm, right?” He hoped he was right and trudged out of the breakfast room, heading to the training deck he had been shown. He didn’t train though, simply sat in the window and watched the Red Lion slowly arc again, spinning lazily as if the piolet couldn’t really be bothered. Why was this so hard? Why couldn’t he just remember? It was clearly hurting his team, they had all been so kind, even if Keith had refused to see him and then avoided all of them to be able to do that. It was apparently not unusual for the Red Paladin to do that, even if it seemed kind of the reverse of useful for a team but he let it slide. He was missing something drastic. Not just what day or year it was, not that Lance wasn’t into the purple goo food. He could feel his heart constrict whenever he thought of the shaggy haired man who had pulled him away from the cryo pod. The tears that flowed down his cheeks were of actual agony. The cries he still heard at night, the terrors that seemed to haunt his entire being. He hated not being able to fix it, his head told him that he should be the one to fix it, he couldn’t work out how. 

 

*** 

 

He heard the doors open, the room illuminating and making him jump. 

“Oh, sorry, I thought you would be in bed by now.” He turned to see the black haired Paladin turning, backing out of the room and darted over to him, wrapping his hand around his wrist. 

“No, don’t go Keith.” Shiro hated the desperation in his voice but Keith stopped so he guessed it was worth it. “I can if you want, I fell asleep watching the sky.” 

“That always helped.” Keith seemed to bite his tongue, head turning not only down but away and Shiro let his wrist go.

“What helped?” Shiro prompted and Keith wrapped his arms around himself. “Please, what else helped? I can’t remember Keith.” 

“The sky. Soft acoustic guitar, watching crappy kids cartoons. Depends what the issue was really.” Keith shuddered and the other tried to reach for him, only to feel like he was hitting a force field. 

“When you can’t sleep, what helps then?” He prompted and Keith rested his weight on one foot.

“Nothing. Not anymore.” He curled his hands to and over his face, wiping at his nose with a sigh. 

“Surely something worked?” Shiro stepped closer and Keith stepped twice as far back. He felt his heart do that twist again and whimpered. 

“Not any more. I lost what actually worked.” He dared to look up and his violet eyes got trapped in the deep greys of Shiro’s. “Now I just work until I can’t do any more.”

“You look like hell for it.” Shiro felt like he used to be able to say things like that, clearly he was wrong now by the flinch that he received. But he wasn’t lying. The other was skinnier than before, dark shadows filled in over pale cheeks and eyes that were red rubbed. His lips were bitten and cracked, hands shaking slightly in his gloves. Even his hair was all over the place, something that struck him as weird considering all the hair he had. 

“Thanks Shiro, want to find the literal salt for me?” Keith grumbled and turned on his heel, the doors sliding open for him.

“Keith!” He called but the doors shut again and he was left in the room alone. 

 

*** 

He could deal with the loss, that he had a lot of practice at. It was the hurt that was stumping him. Shiro wanted to try, but there was so much there that Keith just didn’t know how to be around him anymore. It used to be so easy, it was always so easy even after the first bout of memory loss after Kerberos, he was happy to be there and reset what he had always felt. But this? This was just kicking him whilst he was down wasn’t it? What the hell did he do to deserve to lose the best thing in his life twice?

Keith paced around the docking bay, stopping to watch the lights pass the window in Reds spot. He could see the sky, which always helped, but it just made him feel even more insignificant tonight. Especially stood next to the gigantic lion who was making a point of ignoring him. 

“Hey.” A soft voice bought him out of his spinning steps and his head kept going after he stopped to look up. 

“Hey Lance.” He stepped over and planted his feet so that the world would stop. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” The blue Paladin stepped into the bay and yawned, stretching in his dressing gown. 

“I can’t sleep.” Keith grabbed a cleaning rag and went to start cleaning Red for the second time that day. Lance reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling the other man into a hug. Neither really seemed to know what to do at first, Keith didn’t really like being touched, Lance wasn’t sure why he was hugging Keith but there you have it. The shorter Paladin gave in and hugged him back slowly, curling down into his chest and letting the stress leave his shoulders. 

“I know it’s hard Keith, but he is getting better.” Lance pressed his cheek to the others hair and ran his hands over his back soothingly. “He gets so stressed out that you aren’t around.”

“He doesn’t even know who I am Lance. I can’t deal with that again.” Keith admitted into the others shirt, unable to look up.

“Again?” Lance looked down but Keith didn’t move so he tightened his arms.

“He, we, we were sort of together, before the whole Kerberos mess. He had no idea who I was when we saved him.” He finally spoke of it and Lance understood the whole attitude, the protectiveness of their leader, the want to impress him, to improve and be good enough to stand with Shiro, not behind him. He started swaying them slightly.

“That sucks man.” Lance wanted to hit himself, eloquent as ever. “But you can’t give up on him.”

“It feels like I’m being lazered through the chest every time he looks at me, and like I’m burning from the inside whenever he doesn’t. Want a go at that do you?” Keith broke away and stormed away from the man, scrubbing almost viciously at his lion.

“No. You need to buck your ideas up Keith. Shiro wouldn’t give up on you.” Lance pointed at him and held his glare. “Shiro knows that you’re important. He knows he’s the reason you’ve disappeared, he just can’t work out why. You need to show him.”

“He would be better off not having me anyway.” Keith admitted and dropped the glare, turning back to the machine. 

“No. He’s so much happier when he had you. He’s miserable too you know? Oh wait, no you don’t because you run away from everything.” Lance spat and watched as Keith flinched like he had actually struck him.

“You know what Lance? Fuck off.” Keith growled, refusing to look at him.

“Go fuck yourself Keith.” Lance hissed back, storming out of the bay. Keith rubbed his hand over his face and grabbed the gel that he had to use on Red, mumbling to her until she started purring at him. 

 

*** 

 

Shiro watched the tape, replaying it and feeling even more guilt pile up on his shoulders. He hated that Lance did it for him, but he also had the idea that it wasn’t unusual for the two to snap at each other. He knew there was something between them, he knew that he was the one causing Keith to hurt, but did he really think that Shiro was better off without him? Surely not? 

He pushed away from the screen and ran his hands through his hair, tugging the ends slightly. He was used to the new hand, he was used to having to use the normal weapons, but he just knew it was something stopping him getting his memories back. He also had a great idea that it was attached to either Black or Keith. Both of which he was avoiding. 

He turned the screen off and followed the corridors down to the main dock for his Lion. She didn’t even look like she had been damaged, she was a little dusty though so he grabbed the rag on the side and started wiping her down. No matter how hard he tried though it was just moving the dust around. 

“You need to use the gel.” Shiro startled at the deep voice from the doorway, nearly dropping the rag as he turned. “To get the dust off, space dust is a bitch.” 

“Keith?” Shiro watched as the man walked in, shucking out of his jacket and hanging it before grabbing a can and a rag himself. 

“Cover it.” He sprayed the foam like gel onto the rag and started using circular motions to buffer the lion. “Then circles to get the most off, once all the gel goes flick the rag out and the dust will go, get pulled into the vents and cleaned, it just sticks to the Lions.”

“Thanks.” Shiro watched the way his muscles moved in his tight shirt, hair pulled back into a bun like he had been working. “You being up to much?” 

“Just cleaned Red, kinda assumed that Black would appreciate being cleaned as well, she always liked a fuss.” The Paladin walked to the front of the lion who moved so that he could reach up and pet her nose like some overgrown house cat. 

“I think I could use a hand if you still want to?” Shiro tried, not moving any close to the other man even if something was telling him to. 

“Yeah? Ok.” He pressed a kiss to the lion’s nose who made what could have been a happy noise. “Side each?”

“That works for me.” Shiro smiled and watched the other ignore him until he was the other side of the Lion, starting at her front legs and humming to himself. Shiro tried to not let the issue of the awkward atmosphere get to him but it did eventually dissipate. He worked over Black’ back leg and if he concentrated he could hear Keith talking to himself. Or actually talking to the Lion. She was purring at him, growling when he did or said something she didn’t like and he would chuckle, patting her flank affectionately. 

“Will you stop making my job difficult misses? Lift your paw you great oaf.” Keith patted her leg and the lion shifted to lift the leg he was requesting, grumbling like it was a great effort. He let the musical laughter of the other wash over him and memories threatened to was over him but didn’t quite make themselves sharp enough to understand. There was a thud and the sound of metal on metal and Keith shouted. 

“You ok?” Shiro ducked under the Lion to see Keith had been pinned to the floor by the beast. He was breathing heavily but also didn’t seem too destressed. “Keith!”

“Tell your lion to behave would you?” Keith breathed out, looking down at him and wiggling to try and get free. Shiro looked at him, panic filling his face. “Just talk to her Shiro, she likes you more than me, she’s just used to me.” He tried to teach but Shiro just shook his head. “Come to her head, stroke her, she probably feels pretty abandoned, you haven’t been down here in months Shiro.” He shifted as her paw got heavy on his ribs. 

“Hey?” Shiro walked over to the Lions head who seemed to look down at him. “Can you get off of him?” He reached up but she didn’t purr for him like she did Keith just stayed still. “Please Black?”

“Come on girl, struggling here, if any of you are going to kill me I think Red has claim of that.” Keith wriggled and she simply hummed at him.

“Come on Black, release him, he isn’t hurting you is he?” Shiro reached out again and she seemed to roll her eyes, the movement minimal but she lifted the paw all the same, Keith rolling out from her before she put it down. “Thank you Black.” Shiro reached up and she pushed her huge head into his palm, calm settling over both of them as he seemed to connect with her. Keith rubbed his back but smiled to himself at Shiro reconnecting with his lion. Then Shiro doubled over and clutched his head. Keith dropped the rag and ran to him, catching him just as he fell to his knees, pulling the bigger man into his lap as he gasped, eyes open but unseeing as he was lost. 

Shiro could feel it, he swears he can. The way the blast tore through the Lion, melting his skin and making him scream. He could remember watching the beam, not having enough time to move and not having enough time to call the others either. He had been so happy. They had finally gotten to the end of this stupid bloody war and he could be safe, he could be happy and go home. Suddenly he could feel the arms around him as the images changed, all different clips, him and Keith, them curled up on the sofa, fixing each other, eventually getting over the ruins of his skin, getting to press into the other and coming out of every mission only to wrap his boyfriend up in his arms. He gasped and suddenly could hear Keith panicking around him as his vision cleared. 

“I got you Shiro, its ok come on.” He was being rocked, Keith’s voice filling his scenes, hands clutching him and breathing on his neck, face pressed to his cheek. “I got you Shiro.”

“Keith?” He looked up and Keith breathed a sigh of relief, hugging him close like he couldn’t help himself. 

“Are you ok?” The other breathed into his neck and Shiro wrapped both arms around him, inhaling his scent and settling down for what felt like the first time in months. 

“Yeah I am.” He moulded his body to the mans and rocked them now. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Keith pulled back and pressed his hand over the others cheek, watching as tears streamed down his face. Keith rubbed them away, shucking out of his gloves and using warm palms to soothe the redness in Shiro’s cheeks. 

“I forgot.” He sniffed and his hands tightened in the back of his shirt. “How could I forget you?”

“You forgot everyone Shiro.” Keith sighed and scrubbed his hands over his own face. “I should have been with you, I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have forgotten you. Never.” Shiro kissed Keith’s palm and smiled gently. The other hiccupped and stared at the spot his lips had been. “I’m sorry Baby. But it will all come back.”

“You?” Keith stuttered, chest rising painfully as he nodded and was suddenly back in that octopus’s hug, so tight he thought he may die of suffocation, but it still wasn’t close enough. “Oh Shiro.” 

“I got you Baby. I’m sorry I hurt you.” He breathed deep as he could and then kissed the side of his cheek. Keith took that as an invitation and kissed him, square on the mouth, mumbling little words as his lips chased away any upsetting thoughts that were invading his boyfriends mind. His lips gave way to frantic giggles between them both as they tied to catch the other off guard, get an extra kiss in, until Shiro grabbed the back of his head and drew him into a long kiss. His breathing evened out as Keith’s fingers wrapped around his wrists, pressing back with so much emotion that he was sure the other could feel it. He smiled and pulled back, kissing his nose. 

“Keith?” He ran his hands through the happy tear falling down his face. 

“Shiro?” Keith countered, kissing away the tears from Shiro’s own cheeks. 

“I could hear everything whilst I was in the Cryo pod.” He whispered and Keith’s breaths stuttered, eyes going wide. “Thank you for believing I could make it out.” 

“Thank you for coming back to me.” Keith laughed, hands dragging through his hair that had slipped out of his band. “Thank you for everything.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before that you knew me on earth?” He gave in to the curiosity and Keith stilled, face dropping and turning away from him. 

“You were always so much better than me. I figured you had forgotten me because you didn’t want to remember the kid I was.” He shrugged and then dared to look back at the captain. “You were always much happier when we weren’t thinking of the Garrison, they didn’t like me, you shouldn’t have either.”

“I did. I can’t remember everything Keith, but I know I must always have always liked you.” He reassured and kissed the Paladins nose who smiled at him. “You must have been cute.”

“I was an asshole. But I was the best damn pilot they had. I should have been on Kerberos with you, but they decided I wasn’t old enough.” He was only half proud of that. “I did a good job of fucking up after you left anyway.”

“I probably would have as well.” He pulled Keith back to him, kissing his cheek. 

“I love you.” Keith mumbled against his collar but he heard it, his whole world settling down as he squeezed the man in his arms. 

“I love you too Keith.” He kissed his temple and felt he other smile against his body, humming as he snuggled deeper. 

“Can we go to bed? Please?” Keith yawned and sat up, arms stretching around his body as a blush spread over his cheeks. “I want to feel you against me.” 

“Come on Baby.” Shiro got up and offered him his hand, drawing him up only to dip him in a dramatic kiss that had them both laughing against each other’s mouths. 

“I love you.” Keith delighted in finally saying it freely and earned another kiss for doing so. 

“I love you more.”


	3. Issue 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck im sorry i hope this helps?

Keith buried his head further into the pillows and groaned. The world did not need saving. He refused to believe that the whole universe was in anything other than debt to them, so why was the alarm blaring stupidly early into the ships sleep cycle?

“Come on Keith.” Shiro tugged on his foot and he simply curled up tighter before heaving himself out of bed, he caught Shiro pausing in his own dressing to look at his mostly naked form and smirked, stretching out to show all of his body off. “You’re gonna destroy me one day.” 

“I damn well hope so.” He purred and Shiro blushed, fluffing up his hair and throwing Keith’s undergarments at him, ignoring the way he was cackling at him. 

“You ass.” He straightened up and Keith sauntered over to him, smirk firmly in place as he pressed a kiss to his boyfriends cheek. 

“You love my ass.” He kissed his lips then finished putting on his suit before the two of them started running down the halls to their suits which were at the entrance of the Lions. 

“Paladins! Group in the control room!” Allura called over the tannoy and they all arrived at around the same time, panting and groggy for the most part. 

“Well that was disappointing.” Allura tapped her toe and everyone just collapsed on the floor, apart from Shiro who stood tall for the Princess. “You all failed if that was a real emergency.”

“The universe is in our debt.” Lance announced and shoved at Keith who had fallen next to him, earning a back hand over the stomach. 

“Come on guys, look! Look at that!” Allura was beaming suddenly and they all sat up, looking at the hologram of a planet. 

“Is that liveable?” Pidge shoved their glasses up their nose and the Princess was nodding excitedly. 

“Its uninhabited because the Garla scared everyone off years ago, the council say that we can rebuild on it. We can have it guys, do you know what that means?” She was squealing and everyone had the decency to stand up for her, scratching various places. 

“New Altea?” Hunk was suddenly enveloped in the Princesses arms and he squeaked. 

“YES! Yes yes yes new Altea! Home!” She was fizzing with energy and Coran looked like he was about to burst. 

“Home! We can finally settle!” He popped, grabbing Lances hands and spinning them around, sending the Blue paladin straight into Keith when he let go. Keith caught him and righted him before curling closer to Shiro. 

“When will we get there?” Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith who nuzzled him the best he could through the armour.

“Today! A few hours!” Coran climbed up to the control panel and clicked onto a countdown, which said 12 hours, time changed to help the Paladins by Pidge. 

“You’re saying I could still be asleep?” Lance groaned but smiled anyway at the happiness of the princess, they all were, they hadn’t seen her this happy in literal years. 

“There is much to plan, but we have to look it over first, see what the animals inhabiting it are like and what minerals there are and there is so much!” She chuckled and smoothed her hair down, blushing at the excitement in her voice. “I suppose you could have stayed in bed actually.”

“It’s fine Princess, it shall be a good adventure.” Shiro smiled gently at her and she flashed him a grateful one back. Keith had gotten over the friendship the two had formed, he wasn’t jealous over it any more, he was her commanding officer, they had to be close, but it didn’t help that she was gorgeous. Or the fact that Lance had pointed out how pretty their children would be. 

“It will be fun; do you think there will be any other Alteans around the universe?” Keith force himself to step up and she beamed at him, nodding frantically.

“I have received from a few different sources that there are Alteans around, some are working to be closer to the others so we can pick them up when we are ready.” She grabbed his hands and squeezed them, happily fizzing with positive energy. 

“That’s amazing Princess.” He chuckled and took his hands back as gently as possible, melting into Shiro’s side, only to find Lance had taken his place and literally fallen asleep on his arm, snoring as he stood. He glared but there wasn’t much angry in it, he merely stepped to Shiro’s other side. 

 

“It is; I cannot wait to see my other people.” She nodded and then realised Lance, her mouth turning down at the ends. “You all want to go back to bed don’t you?” She blushed again, flustered before dismissing them. 

“Do you want me to stay and talk things over with you Princess?” Shiro’s voice was soft and she nodded, smiling slightly. Keith bristled but noticed that Shiro had dismissed the others.

“I got Lance.” Keith wrapped an arm around the blue paladin who seemed to curl into him, holding onto him like an octopus. 

“Thanks Keith.” Shiro reached over and kissed his forehead before letting Lance go completely, the man grumbling into Keith’s neck. Keith swept his other arm underneath the other, carrying him to his room. Lance shifted dangerously into slipping possibility, the armours making it difficult for Keith to activate his door. 

“Keith?” Lance mumbled, blinking at him slowly.

“I got you bud, just let me open the door.” He hit the switch and it opened wide enough to carry him in, putting him down on the bed before smiling gently. 

“I was, the Princess, Shiro?” He blearily tried to piece things together, hand rubbing his eyes and yawning. 

“Shiro is with her, the others are in bed, so are you, get undressed and then get to bed ok?” Keith tugged his hands away before he hurt himself, only to receive the biggest puppy dog eyes going. “What?” Lance put his arms out to make it easier to get out of his armour. “Really?”

“You don’t have to, forget it.” Lance seemed to back up but Keith put a hand on his shoulder, gently undoing the straps keeping it all together with practiced ease. He watched the other carefully, the way the blush settled over his cheeks. “There you go Lance, you ok?”

“I just, I couldn’t sleep, I had only just settled when the alarm went off.” He admitted, soft and pliable in his sleepy state.

“Nightmares?” Keith piled his own armour next to the blue and sat on the bed with him. 

“Yeah, it just keeps replaying in my head, I can see everything.” He leant against Keith who wrapped his arms around him. 

“I know that feeling. Want me to stay?” Keith rocked them gently and Lance seemed to battle himself. 

“But Shiro?” He yawned and started fiddling with the arm of his sweater. 

“Shiro understands Lance, he knows I’ll only be with you.” He ran his hand down the side of his face and Lance glanced up through heavy lashes.

“Is it ok though?” He bit his lip and Keith simply kicked off his socks and laid out on the others bed, offering his arms for him to curl up into. It took him a few seconds to decide but did climb over the shorter man, dragging the sheets and closing his eyes as his head landed on Keith’s chest. 

Keith stroked over his back until the paladins breathing evened out and his hands were fisted over the soft fabric of Keith’s under armour. He had given in and relaxed around Lance after he had sort of fixed him and Shiro, he had discovered that the other man was just as fucked up as they were but had no outlet other than winding him up. He understood that all too well and eventually they had called a sort of truce. They had become friends before teammates. They actually enjoyed working off of each other, and even if it left a twist in Keith’s gut, and guilt on Lances mind, they did occasionally take refuge with each other if things got bad. It confused the hell out of both of them but not as much as it did the other paladins. 

He laid in the room, waving the lights to turn off and let his hands roam over the man’s back, taking in how he ran so warm against Keith’s own by heat, which was usually higher than normal. He had a sudden protective urge to bundle him up and force soup into him before chuckling to himself at the absurdity of it. He didn’t need to look after Lance, he was a perfectly well functioning human, who probably did better than the rest of them, apart from maybe Pidge, who was defiantly the most normal. 

After a while, the gentle snoring from Lance lulled Keith into a sleep, curled tightly together under the sheets. 

 

*** 

 

Shiro watched as Keith effortlessly worked with Lance to bring down the bot, working so much like himself and his boyfriend, slight twinge of jealousy colouring his vision. Which was insane and uncalled for. Keith loved him for god’s sake. He wouldn’t cheat on him with Lance. But he had been much closer to the blue Paladin over the last few months, the arguing had become comfortable in a weird way. There were nights that Shiro woke up alone, Keith couldn’t sleep on his own, so he knew that he was with the other. Shiro wanted to join them, wrapping both guys up against him and safe, but he also felt like he would be crossing some other bridge that he had no reason to if he did. Lance was looking happier, less home sick, more relaxed and not so annoying so he guessed that it was doing him good. 

But still.

It stung. 

He turned away as they finished the simulation, falling against each other’s backs and sliding to the floor.

“We nailed it.” Lance announced, head dropping back onto Keith’s shoulder with a winded smirk.

“Damn right we did.” He chuckled, looking up to the control room to see Shiro had left and frowning. 

“Is he avoiding us?” Lance didn’t open his eyes but he had been aware that the leader was keeping an eye on the pair from a distance. 

“I think he’s pissed at me.” Keith groaned, mimicking Lance’s position.

“Why? You two are like a super couple.” Lance reached up to fluff Keith’s hair who groaned.

“I don’t think he understands what this is.” He made a vague gesture with his hands and heaved himself up, shoving Lance in the process so he wouldn’t fall flat. 

“What is this?” Lance gripped his ankle and Keith swallowed thickly, licking his lips as Lance watched him with big, open blue eyes.

“I don’t know; you’re my friend aren’t you?” Keith flustered and then waved. “I’m gonna go find him.”

“Good luck, friend.” Lane called, ignoring the way his stomach twisted when Keith walked away from him. Stupid Keith with his stupid smile, his stupid chest that made the best pillow, his stupid understanding mind, his stupid mullet. Screw Keith. He got up and asked for another round of drones to cancel out his thinking. 

 

Keith found Shiro in his room, well, it may as well be their room, brooding. 

“Hey Babe.” He took off his armour but Shiro didn’t reply, simply continued reading the Altean book. “Alright, what did I do?”

“Why do you think you did something?” He raised an eyebrow but Keith merely blew his fringe from his face, arms falling to his hips. 

“Because you’re being funny with me, the only difference is that I have been spending time actually getting along with Lance, so I’m willing to bet it’s got something to do with that.” He crossed the room and crowed the elder, taking the book from his hand when he saw a flicker of something in his eyes. 

“Ok so what if it is?” Shiro crossed his arms over his chest and pulled a challenging voice up from somewhere.

“Are you jealous?” Keith raised an eyebrow an Shiro refused to meet his eyes. “Fuck Shiro come on, have you seen you? You’re aware I’ve been in love with you since literally before Kerberos?” Shiro snapped back to him, mouth slightly agape as he registered what he had heard. 

“What?” 

“Look, I know you don’t remember, but I do ok?” Keith curled into himself, wrapping his arms around himself.

“Keith.” Shiro reached out for him but he stepped back, refusing to look up. “Keith come here.” He did reluctantly, being tugged down into Shiro’s arms and lap forcefully. “I’m sorry.”

“S’not your fault.” He mumbled, trying and failing to stop himself curling into the man’s body. 

“Is there a lot that I don’t remember?” Shiro kissed his temple and Keith shrugged. 

“Not really, we had a little cabin we used to sneak to, but you never let it go too far, you seemed to realise that you were going to go further than me.” He fiddled with Shiro’s shirt, having changed earlier in the day and rested his head on his shoulder, regret filling his bones and making his heart feel like led. There was a hell of a lot more but he also didn’t want to make the leader feel any worse. 

“Tell me?” Shiro kissed his temple and rocked them gently, lips skimming iver his soft skin as he felt his stomach curl tight. 

“Its just little stuff Shiro. I just wish that we could have grabbed a couple of things before we left is all.” Keith buffered and nuzzled his face into his hot neck, teeth pulling at his skin gently as he got comfortable. 

"Maybe once were settled on the new Altea we could take a trip back? Get some things, see some people?” Shiro let his hands wander over his back, nipping gently at his cheek when teeth brushed his own skin.

“We’d never get Lance back.” Keith flinched when Shiro's affections stopped. “Besides, look at what they tried to do to you when you crashed? I cant see us getting a very warm welcome.” He blinked huge purple eyes up at Shiro who shrugged, making a face which showed he didn’t want to admit Keith was right. “The new Altea will be amazing. But I don’t now if I’d want to stay there. There isn’t anywhere else to go though.”

“You know whatever happens we’ll have each other though, right?” Shiro ran his metal finger over Keiths cheek who nodded, biting his lip hard. “Whatever happens I know you’ll have my back, and I will yours.” He pulled Keith closer and pressed their lips together, melting into his boyfriend and holding him as if he were made of glass. Keith nodded and shifted in Shiro's lap, legs either side of him as he pushed him flat on his back, lips seeking out as much of his skin as he could. Shiro understood that Keith felt the need to reassert his feelings and let him pepper kisses over his jaw, under his ears, across the scarred bridge of his nose and back too his lips, hands roaming over the plain t shirt he was wearing and working it from his body. Keith gripped both of Shiro's hands in his and pressed them to his skin, encouraging the elder to touch him, and as soon as the fingers splayed over his hips he canted forwards. 

“Keith.” The mans voice sent shivers down the youngers spine and he moaned, fingers slipping under his shirt and hitching it up enough to run the tips over his dark nipples. Keith arched into him and gasped against his mouth, moaning as he worked his own shirt over his head to give the other full access to his body. Shiro made sure to take full advantage, flipping them so that Kieth was lying o his back, covering his chest and abs, still sweaty with the work out, with kisses and licks, marking him ever couple of seconds with a new love bite or teeth marks. He hummed against his collarbone and bit down on the sharp angle of it, making Keith actually shout out instantly, hands tugging the short strands of his hair hard. 

“Shiro please.” He whimpered and he took pity on him, kissing him gently whilst removing his own clothes. 

“Come on sweaty boy, were showering.” Shiro nibbled on his ear and stood, making sure to bend slowly so that Keith could get a full look before winking and swaying his hips invitingly as he walked. Keith scrambled to follow, getting tangled in his trousers as he struggled out of them, landing on Shiro's broad chest. When he reached the bathroom. “Graceful there Princess.” He raised a perfect eyebrow and Keith dropped his violet eyes to the floor, swallowing thickly at the sight of a very naked Shiro as the need to drop to his knees engulfed him. 

“Please Shiro.” He whimpered again and suddenly the water turned on, the perfectly sculpted adonis in front of him stepping behind the glass before he could do so. 

“What do you want Baby?” Shiro offered his hand which Keith used to ground himself when he stepped under the spray, pressing his body flush to the bigger mans and burying his face in his chest. “Shhh Baby, I got you.” He ran his hand through his long hair and peppered kisses to his crown, enjoying the closeness as much as the younger man. He should have just said something, he shouldn’t have hidden like some child and brooded. It wasn’t fair on the team. 

“I love you Takashi.” Keith whispered, his name like some kind of magic word he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to use. Shiro smiled and tilted his head up with one finger, humming gently before slotting their mouths together with practiced ease.

“I love you too Keith.” He whispered back and then Keith gave into his instincts, kissing his way down the leaders chest until he could take the half hard cock in his mouth, moaning around it as fingers tangled in his hair. The major plus side of having a mountain for a boyfriend was that he didn’t get hit with the water as he did, face staying dry as his knees were still under the spray between his legs. 

Shiro breathed in through his nose, moaning out through his mouth as Keith started massaging his head with his lips, peppering it with kisses and little kitten licks perfectly until it was hot and heavy in his hand. He dared to look down and noticed that Keith had his eyes closed, mouth slack as he started to work him to the back of his throat, relaxed in a weird was he only ever seemed to be when he had something to suck on, be it cock, fingers or something completely innocent. It did things to twist up Shiro's insides perfectly and he didn’t ever want to stop seeing that. 

"Keith, Baby, come on Princess, you can do it, if you can finish me here I promise I’ll open you up perfectly on the bed once we’re out of here, nice and slow, draw the pleasure out of you with my mouth like you are for me, fuck.” Shiro hissed as Keith worked him right against his throat, moaning at the idea. “You’e so perfect Baby, no one could ever do the things you do to me, so perfect for me, shit.” Shiro tugged his hair and Keith went slack, letting the other guide himself in and out as he pleased, tears running down his face even as he moaned and gripped hard enough to bruise on thick thighs, breathing low and steady as possible. Shiro gave in and let himself go, rocking quickly three more times before spilling down the back of his boyfriends throat, shouting his name as he did. Keith whined and swallowed it all, licking the still hard cock clean as he pulled off, blinking wide, blown, violet eyes up at the other who had slumped against the wall, hand slipping from his hair. 

“Fuck Keith..” Shiro made grabby hands and Keith was quick to get up, face tucking under the others chin as arms banded around him tight, kisses being pressed lazily to his cheek and shoulders as he enjoyed the closeness. 

“Missed doing that.” Keith admitted and Shiro chuckled quietly, tilting his face up for a kiss. 

“Me too Princess, come on, lets get you clean.” He kissed him once more before lathering up a crunchy and scrubbing his smaller boyfriend down gently before doing himself, making sure to take extra care when it came to his still aching cock and around the back of his neck where he liked to be held. “I got you Baby.” He whispered as Keith swayed slightly on the spot, lip trapped between his teeth and eyes closed in bliss at the attention. Shiro swore to himself that he would make more of a fuss over the younger man, enjoying it himself just as much. 

“Bed?” Keith blinked at him slowly and smiled sleepily, leaning against his frame because he could. 

"Dry first but then yes Baby.” Shiro reminded and turned off the water, grabbing Keith’s hair towel and wrapping that up before covering him in the huge fluffy towels they had found, covering most of his frame with one of them. “You stay there Baby, let me dry off and I’ll do you ok?” He reassured when the other started whimpering. 

“Ok Shiro.” He nodded and focused on staying still as a statue, lip back between his teeth as he came back to himself. Shiro finished quickly, curling his arms around the other before kissing him slowly, humming happily at the others immediate response. 

“You’re so cute.” He kissed his nose, rubbing his skin off as the boy scrunched his nose up.

“Nope, you're gorgeous, but I am not cute.” He sneered at the last word and Shiro laughed gently, shaking his head before kissing him again.

“You’re adorable Keith, no one can tell me otherwise.” He soothed, tapping his nose with the corner of the towel as he hung it up, wrapping both arms under his ass and hoisting his smaller boyfriend up and over his shoulder with a shriek. 

“Put me down Shiro!” Keith tried to sound threatening but he was too busy laughing as the other turned his head to blow raspberries on his sides, squealing at the motion. 

“Nope, I like you here.” Shiro proclaimed, slapping his ass playfully before dropping him down on their bed, crawling over him to cover his chest in kisses. Keith sighed and let him make a fuss, honest smile covering his face as he watched the man move over his lithe frame, mapping out each scar he had and kissing them all methodically. “I love you Keith, please don’t forget that.”

“I couldn’t ever forget you my Shiro.” Keith hummed, hand curling around the others chiselled jaw and pulling him up to pepper little kisses on his lips, humming as they rocked gently against each other. “My gorgeous, perfect, handsome Shiro.”

“You sap.” Shiro chuckled against his lips, eyes still closed as they just took each other in, breathing the same space because for the first time in years they actually could.”You glorious sap.”

“Sorry to intrude but we will be landing shortly, you should all wear your suits use to be safe.” Foran's voice came through the speakers around the ship and the two men groaned, Shiro flopping down dramatically on his boyfriend who let out a guff and a laugh before wrapping both arms around him protectively. 

“You could just hide in here?” Keith offered and Shiro blew another raspberry on his neck before shoving himself up onto his knees and glaring at the spot where the speaker was nestled. 

“Come on handsome, we better be snappy.” Shiro groaned but offered his flesh hand to pull the other up, kissing him gently one more time before slipping into his under suit. 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________. 

 

Something about the planet was making it hard to breathe. Keith was sure there was a faint burning in his lungs but everyone else was happily stroking around, helmets off and chatting excitedly about the possibility of a beach. Pidge was scanning with the wrist computer they had made and everything seemed to be in place, small ruins covered the grasslands, tall trees swayed gently in the slight breeze and it all smelled faintly of lavender and apple blossom. But it was defiantly getting harder to breathe.

“You ok Keith?” Lance stopped from where the whole group were ahead to wait for the elder paladin to catch up.

“You breathing ok?” Keith raised an eyebrow, hand coming up to rub over his chest as if it could ease some of the pain. 

“Yeah? Not much here to hurt us, Allura declared it safe as did Pidge, your chest playing up?” Lances face tilted into a frown when he actually took stock of the fact that Keith hadn’t taken his helmet off. “Are you using the oxygen in your suit?” 

“No, its just filtering the air here but its not doing much really.” He grimaced and coughed, sounding dry and grating as he did. Lance stopped and ran a hand over the others back until the coughing fit ended and then just stood biting his lip. 

“Maybe you should go back to the castle? You look kinda more pale than usual too, bar the red cheeks.” He offered, shrugging as he pulled his hand reluctantly back to himself. 

“All ok back there?” Allura called from where the others had made a considerable distance between the two groups. 

“I actually don’t feel so good, I may head back.” Keith rasped out and she frowned, turning on her heel and striding over to them, tilting his face up and twisting it from side to side. 

“You should be fine, you think you’ve eaten something?” She queried, eyes scanning him as if looking for some other sign of discomfort. Shiro was suddenly at their side, head tilted just so at how heavily Keith was actually leaning on Lance, almost like he hadn't realised he was doing it. 

“Yeah, feels like a chest infection, ill take a trip to the med bay and be as good as new.” He tried to wave it off but his balance faltered and if it weren’t for Lances propping up he would have fallen over. 

“No tripping before we get there.” Lance saved and Keith made a half hearted swat at him before doubling over coughing again. “Ok ok ok come on you, lets get you back.” He wrapped an arm around his waist firmly before ducking under Keith’s arm to take more of his weight. “You guys go ahead, I’ll take the grim reaper here home and pretend I know how to make broth.” He tried to smile but the concern was clear on his face. The others nodded, Allura dismissing them before Shiro could offer to take his boyfriend back himself.

“I got him Shiro, you keep Allura safe.” Lance reassured and started half carrying Keith back the way they had come. 

“Lance will take care of him Shiro, you know that, come on.” Pidge patted his shoulder and carried on towards the main centre of town ruins. Shiro's gut twisted uncomfortably, hating the way his boyfriend hung on the other paladin but also knowing that he had to look after the rest of the team. 

“He’ll be fine Shiro. Come on.” Hunk patted his shoulder and started walking them in the opposite direction of where he wanted to be. 

 

“How you feelin’?” Lance helped Keith into the castle before letting him lean against the wall whilst he locked the door behind them, instantly missing the closeness. 

“Not great if I’m honest.” He huffed, gulping down the clean air of the ship with his hands braced on his knees

“You don’t really look it either, come on, lets get you to the medical bays.” He wrapped an arm back around Keith’s waist who just let himself be lead, collapsing onto the bed before letting the other set it up for him, coughing wetly enough that Lance actually kept all the witty comments to himself. 

“Thank you Lance.” Keith reached out and squeezed his wrist before the pod drew him back into the chamber, closing his eyes as the tech kicked in. 

“No problem Buddy.” He rested his hand and forehead against the cool glass and sighed, dropping to his knees as he waited for the diagnosis. 

“I thought I heard someone in here, why are you back? Is the Princess ok?” Coran appeared thought the door just as the machine started beeping that it was complete with the testing. 

“Shes fine, Keith just seems ill. He was feeling sick and like he couldn’t breathe on the planet so I bought him back.” Lance propped his back agaisnt the glass as Coran read through the text, eyes going comically wide as his jaw dropped open. “What?”

“I, did, is, you, what?” Coran read it over again, lips silently forming the words on the screen. “I don’t believe it.”

“Don’t believe what Coran?” Lance stood up, gripping the panel from him and crudely working out what was on screen. “The fuck?”

“Did you know?” Coran was eyeing Keith in the chamber warily, like something was suddenly different. 

“No. Why would I? I don’t think even he knows.”Lance sat back down, a little further away from the pod this time, head in his hands as he let the information wash over him. “Shit.”

“I don’t even know how to bring it out to him.” Coran leant against the table and ran a hand through his moustache. “He doesn’t know his family? You sure about that fact?” 

“He said he was an orphan, cant remember his family at all, even Shiro thinks that’s true, he's never lied to Shiro.” Lance mused, trying to think of any information he had gained over the last few years that would dictate anything else. “I don’t think he could have gone through the war if he did know.”

“Well then. One of us has to tell him.” Coran noticed the short amount of time he was meant to stay in hibernation. “And we have to decide quick.”

“What if we just show him the readings? We’ll both be here but he can make of it what he does. How come its not come up before?” Lance tilted his head to the side thinking of all the times they had all been in the pods. “Surely it would have flagged before?”

“Maybe. If it wasn’t an illness directed by the, genetics, we’ve come across and it was only physical it wouldn’t matter, the pod would have just healed him.” Coran looked over their medical records of the red paladin, paling slightly. “Or maybe it did and we were all too worried about Shiro to notice, which makes me feel even worse.” He handed over the pad and Lance scanned it quick, realising that it had been pointed out, a few times, over the last 6 or so months, during the time he was over doing it because of the stress of Shiro and all the shitstorm that came after that. 

“None of us checked this? Why? Surely one of us would have realised?” Lance was so tempted to throw the glass across the room, make it shatter into a thousand pieces and never tell his friend what it was telling them. 

“It didn’t flag it as a priority thing because its just genetics, he hasn’t suddenly changed, it just, revealed itself. It’s something we would all rather not think about as well.” Coran took the sheet back and put it in its dock, scrubbing his face with both hands. 

“So the planet was trying to kill him from the start?” Lance crawled over to the pod and pressed his back to it as if he could protect the other from what he had to come out to. 

"Yes. Which causes even more issues regarding Altea.” Coran summarised, frown causing a line to form between his orange eyebrows. “We can't settle somewhere we can't have him.”

“But Allura was so happy.” Lance bit his lip and let his head thunk back agaisnt the glass. “The hell do we tell Shiro?”

“We don’t, he can if he wants to.” Coran checked the progress bar. “You should get ready to catch him its about to open.” 

“Ok. We can do this.” He psyched himself up and opened his arms ready to catch the cold Paladin, wrapping him up in both arms as his weight fell on him. Keith was grumbling before he started burying his face into the cubans neck, hands curled between them for warmth as he let the other sink them both to the floor. 

“Hey Buddy, how you feeling?” Lance rocked himself slightly, rubbing circles on Keith’s back as he did to warm him up and sooth him. 

“Like someone blended my lungs and my brain and then made me into a slushy.” Keith mumbled and Lance couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, smiling to himself. Keith was Keith. Keith was Keith was Keith and nothing had changed since they woke up this morning. Although in serious factors everything had changed but that didn’t matter. Keith was Keith was Keith. His Keith. 

“I'm glad you still have your sense of humour.” He chuckled and accepted the blanket form Coran, wrapping it around his shoulders protectively. 

“Always, I gotta keep up with you don’t I?” He hid his face against Lances neck with the blanket over his head, the pods always seemed to leave him freezing. “What was wrong with me?”

“Here.” Coran handed him the tablet. “You may want to read that.”

“Thanks.” He seemed skeptical but extended one hand to grab it and draw it under the blanket with him. Lance kept up the rubbing but felt the other stiffen in his embrace, eyes locked on Corans who was gnawing his lip like he wanted to go through it. 

“What the Fuck?” Keith shouted, shaking violently now that he had popped out of the cocoon he had made, lip quivering and eyes frantically flicking between the two men. “Why? What? Please?” His breathing was becoming erratic but Lance just gripped him tighter.

“We know as much as you do. But I promise we’ll work it out.” Lance tried to reason but Keith was pushing hismelf away, dropping the blanket and scrambling to press himself to the ship wall. “Keith.”

“This whole time, this whole war! Ive been one of them? How the hell didn’t we know?” He was sobbing now but every time one of the others moved he flinched like he was being struck. 

“Because its not what you are its who you are that matters Keith.” Coran held his hands up. “You have Galra blood, the stress that has happened recently seems to have some kind of connection with it revealing itself. The tests from the last year show it slowly developing but we didn’t notice it.” He tried to soothe but Keith was just shaking his head frantically from side to side. 

“Can you stop it?” He shouted, clutching his chest like he was trying to rip his heart from his body.

“Maybe? It seems like it was always there, genetically hidden whilst it was safer for you to look human. I can run a few more tests over the next few days but it may just be as it is now Keith. You don’t look any different.” Coran tired to reason but he was whimpering in response. 

“But how the hell can I expect any of you to look at me any more knowing that I come from them?” He shouted and the men flinched at the high decibel he was hitting. “How can I expect Shiro to, oh god.” His knees suddenly hit the floor as tears dropped in front of them onto the tiles. “Shiro.” 

“What about me?” Shiro had heard the shouting, rushed to the medical bay and been just in time to see his boyfriend hit the floor chanting his name. Keith looked up frantically, chest heaving and eyes red, squeaked loudly and fled the room like a whirlwind, dodging out of his reach perfectly and skirting away from them. 

“Let him go Shiro. He needs time.” Coran grabbed the leaders arm as he went to follow the other paladin. The tone of his voice was so final it made him pause, eyes flicking between the two in the room and the one who had clearly just slammed his bedroom door. 

“You’re telling me to leave him in that state? I promise him I wouldn’t hurt him anymore Coran, that means looking after him.” Shiro growled and both men shot him terrified looks at the so uncharacteristically Shiro tone, letting him follow the red paladin down the halls. 

“This won't end well.” Lance huffed, falling dramatically into a chair. 

 

_____________________________________________________________. 

 

“Babe?” Shiro leant against the door where he could hear his boyfriend sobbing, but he couldn’t get in, it wouldn’t unlock for him and that was distressing him further. “Please, Keith, Baby, come on let me in I want to look after you.” He just got harder sobs in response. He closed his eyes and slid down the door, armour still on and uncomfortable so he just tore it off, chucking it in the alcove opposite him. What if he was ill? Terminally ill? Would you get cancer in space? Fuck they had been exposed to so much of course they could. Was that it? He had never seen him in that level of utter distress in all the years he had known him. How could he live without Keith? He needed Keith and in the most selfish ways too. Keith was everything. 

“Please? Baby? Please just tell me whats wrong.” He thunked his head back against the door, tears threatening to overflow as he tried to deal with the fact that he might loose the Red paladin. 

"Go away Shiro, you don't need me." Keith called, hiccuping every syllable and clearly curled up against the other side of the door. 

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Shiro grit out, hand glowing as if telling him that he could get to the other if he really tried.

“No Shiro you’ve dealt with enough shit you don’t need to deal with this too.” He was sobbing again and Shiro felt his heart twist painfully as if trying to exit his chest. 

“I want you. I want whatever this is to be between us and that we can get through anything is a fact. Let me look after you.” He closed his eyes and felt the door slide open, head tilting back to find Keith was kneeling against the floor behind him, face suddenly burying itself into his shoulder and arms tightening around his waist. 

“Please Shiro. Please.” He didn’t know what he was pleading for but Keith couldn’t help himself, shivering as he hiccuped through the words. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please.” He felt the other shift and pull him into that warm lap and melted into the embrace, face tucked out of the way and hidden from sight. 

“I’m here Keith. I will always be here, you’re with me, you’re mine, I’m yours come on Baby, I got you.” Shiro was mumbling as he shifted them both back into Keiths mostly unused room, leaning against the wall as he held him close. “Im not running.”

“You will. You should.” Keith groaned and only held him tighten, hands white knuckling agaisnt the fabric of his boyfriends shirt. 

"I won't and I shouldn’t, now what is it Baby?” Shiro rocked them both and Keith motioned for him to sit back, shifting out of Shiro's lap and sitting opposite him, hands curled around both of Shiro's. 

“You know, you know how I don’t know where I came from?” Keith watched Shiros thumb trace the back of his thumb and held his breath. “And how no one ever bothered to claim I was theirs?”

“Yes, I remember that Keith.” Shiro fillediin when he didn’t continue, bottom lip trembling. 

“The pod, the pod has been picking up on something in my blood. Something coming apart or out or I don’t know I don’t really understand but all I know is that its bad and that it shouldn’t be happening and that I shouldn’t be doing this to you and that you are better off without me and.” Keith was rambling so Shiro leant forward to kiss his cheek and distract him enough to get him to breathe. “And the pod tested my blood. I, apparently, I think, that the results said that I had Galra blood.” He finished quietly, watching the others posture change and stiffen instantly before daring to look at his pale face, mouth slightly agape and eyes looked on terror. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I swear I didn’t know!” He started hyperventilating to the point that black dots seemed to appear in his line of vision and the high pitched squealing of his lungs appeared to snap the elder out of his shell, dragging the younger man into his lap and cooing until he calmed down enough to not pass out, rocking him on auto pilot. 

“Ok.” He breathed agains the others neck, kissing the skin there as he. Decided that Keith wasn’t going to suffocate himself. “That’s gonna, take some sinking in. But that’s ok. As long as you’re not dying.” He declared and curled himself tighter around the dark haired man, kissing his shoulder when Keith seemed to stiffen. 

“Why would I die?” He mumbled, peaking up with wet eyelashes and red cheeks. 

“You were not letting me in, ran from a medical bay crying and you wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I jumped to the worst conclusion.” He reiterated and kissed both rosy cheeks, heaving a heavy sigh. 

"Would that have been worse? I'm monster. Or at least part monster." Keith whimpered but leant into the touch all the same. 

“I don’t think that’s true. You’re the red paladin. You’re my lover, you put up with me bing useless more than anyone else. You always support me, you adore your team and would do anything to keep them safe. You’re Keith, you are not a monster at all. Nothing can make you a monster.” He ran a hand down his cheek to wipe away the tears and kissed his forehead. “I love you Keith. Whatever they did to you, whatever you are, whatever you look like, I love you.” 

“But what if I look like one of them?” He shuddered and scrubbed his face with his hands, gloves sharp agaisnt his eyelids. “Coran said he doesn’t think he can stop it.”

“Then we deal with that when It happens.” Shiro really fucking hoped it didn’t but he could deal with it for Keiths sake, Keith had done everything for him, he couldn’t just clock out over some physical change. “I love you Keith.”

“I love you so much Shiro.” He curled close and held him to his chest, breathing out his relief and putting himself back in the others lap properly. 

“Good. I'd be screwed if you didn’t.” Shiro chuckled lightly and let relief wash over him. Keith wasn’t going to die, but that was something he should bring up with Coran and Allura. They stayed close for a long while until there was a tentative knock on the door.

“Can I come in?” Lances voice filtered through the metal and Keith nodded so the door would open, letting the blue paladin in with some space lemonade, blushing at the position the others were In. Neither moved but Lance did sit next to them, piercing it for Keith and handing it over. “You ran away before we could look after you.” Lance smiled gently but Keith ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that." He drank slowly, letting the sweetness cover his tongue.

“Naa, we understand Buddy, just let us look after you from now on.” He reached out to fluff up the mullet and Keith stuck his tongue out at the blue paladin before throwing him a grateful smile. 

“Thank you Lance, seriously.” He curled his free hand around Lanes wrist who blushed and ducked his head out of the way, shrugging like it was nothing. 

“What would I do without you? Pidge can't just have me to roast, she’d kill me.” He joked but both the others chuckled whilst monitoring him. 

“You want to sleep in here tonight Lance? Well set up a fort in the middle of the room?” Shiro threw him a bone and his face lit up so adorably that Shiro forgot that he was meant to feel jealous of the connection the two younger men shared.

“If I could? I dont want to leave you much, I've seen you choke far too much for one day to wonder if you can make it through the night without swallowing your own tongue.” He punched Keith’s shoulder who shoved him back playfully, hand curling into his top to stop him actually falling over. “You sure Shiro? I don’t want to step on toes.”

“No, it’ll be good to have someone else here with us, keep this ice box warm.” He nuzzled his nose agaisnt Keith’s cheek playfully who actually giggled which Lance decided was his favourite sound ever. 

“Thanks.” Lance leant against the wall, noting the lack of stuff. “You don’t use this room do you?” 

“Not really, Shiro's is bigger.” Keith confirmed and Lance nodded. 

“We should spend the night in my room, I have more stuff to build fort walls with.” He had already designed and constructed forts in his room, hanging long lines from different cornered and draping blankets and sheets over them to create a mini, warm space when he needed to wind down or just relax. “I even have fairy lights.”

“Where did you get fairy lights?” Keith sounded outraged and both the others laughed at him, going to fluff up his hair at the same time, hands linking in his hair and making his eyes close happily as they fluffed it up together. Shiro smiled at Lance who positively beamed back, lighting up the room in a way Shiro hadn't realised he could do and he had to check himself before he started staring, squeezing his fingers before pulling away and resting both hands on Keith’s hips. 

“I’ll get Pidge to make you some if you really want Keef.” He smirked and got a grumpy, curt nod. “If you admit that I can wind them around my finger better than you can.”

“Never.” Keith gasped and Lance raised an eyebrow. “They would make me some if I asked!”

“But you haven’t, and I have so I mean, who’s the real winner here?” He winked and Keith rolled his violet eyes, crossing his arms over his chest like a pertinent toddler. 

“Now now you two, no fighting before dinner.” Shiro chuckled as they both poked their tongues out at him and he shook his head dejectedly. “Whatever shall I do with you?” He teased before wrapping one arm around Lance, the other around Keith and tickling them both until they were pined underneath him and screaming for mercy. He then flopped down with all his weight on them both and crushed them until they shifted and tickled him back, cackling like a couple of idiots in excitement. 

“Give?” Keith gave him an out but he just shook his head, staring him square in the eye as he threw his body up and over him, pinning him down and holding him in place. “Lance, get him.” He winked and suddenly they both had the long haired man shouting out, writhing under their combined efforts until he was crying. 

“OK! OK I give!” Keith panted, rolling his hips up to try and dislodge Lance from where he was over him. “You win.” He caught Lances eye and smirked at the blush on his cheeks. “Only cos you cheated.” 

“Oh you little.” He started but Shiro coughed, leaning back on his hunches as the door opened and Allura raised an eyebrow at them.

“Am I interrupting?”


End file.
